Crossed Souls

by Marcus S. Lazarus

When the kingdom of Arendelle is attacked by Drago Bludvist's dragon army, the kingdom seeks aid from the Dragon Riders of Berk, but the Vikings' suspicions of the 'ice witch' requires the peace to be properly affirmed by marrying Hiccup to the queen of Arendelle. As they seek answers about Drago's new power, the dragon rider, the ice queen and the fiery valkyrie are drawn together

14. The Spring Dance I

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise from either fandom. Most importantly, this fic is a translation of the fascinating Almas cruzadas by Sandy97 and is uploaded here with her permission; any edits to the material are only what is required to make the translation flow appropriately.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: I apologise for the delay in posting anything new for this fic; everything was on hold while the original author stopped posting the original fic. However, the original fic has begun again, and I have received permission to continue uploading this translation, so it will become part of my update schedule again when possible as I work on 'catching up' with the original tale.

Crossed Souls

Chapter 14: The Spring Dance I

The night was already well closed and it was raining hard outside the old Golden Duck tavern when the door was thrown open to welcome a hooded man, soaked to the bone in water and mud and giving every sign that he was looking for a fight in that joint.

Without greeting anyone and with a face that would have earned him few friends, he made his way through that seedy place, full of the smell of piss and stale a brisk step and a slight limp, he approached the end of the room, where another hooded man awaited him.

"I hope you brought something," demanded the man who was already seated.

"First the money," replied the other without sitting down.

The seated man grunted, but ended up pulling a purple cloth bag out of his pocket that sounded kind as it fell on the table.

"I like it that way, sir." He sat down with a smile on his face.

At that moment, the waitress approached, and the waiting man ordered a pint for the stranger and a plate of roast duck with onion honey, the house specialty.

"Tell me, what news do you bring?" the waiting man inquired.

"Does this place offer dinner?"the other hesitated, taking off his hood and revealing a bald head with several tattoos.

"Yes, and then you leave," the other agreed with a private sense of despair."Tell me what you've found out, I don't have time for your nonsense."

At that moment the waitress returned with the duck was slightly burnt on the outside and raw on the inside, in addition to the non-existent onion , the tattooed man was not put off as he began to eat with his hands, also showing that he was missing several teeth and a finger.

"How impatient you of the aristocracy are," he pointed out as he tore and chewed a piece of meat."It's also your lucky day, Drago still hasn't found that bastard."

That made the other man open his eyes intently.

"And where is it?"

The tattooed man took a long drink of his beer before speaking, quenching his thirst from weeks of travel.

"They have seen it in these realms, there is no doubt about that," he explained."From what I have been able to find out, it has been out of the archipelago for months and it is not the first time it has say that it travels where its prey go."

"Where did you last see it?"He asked with some desperation.

"In the southern kingdoms," the tattooed man revealed, "but the son of a bitch is very never stops in any town so it's impossible to keep track of the bastard."

The man raised another piece of duck to his mouth, this time letting some of the half-cooked fat from the animal escape between his teeth.

"Are you sure Drago hasn't found it yet?"He wanted to make sure.

"Sure," the tattooed man confirmed, "but I also know he's doubled the reward for whoever finds weeks from now, these lands are going to be full of trappers and by the time that happens, I hope to be well away," he coughed, spitting out a piece of duck, "and you should do the same."

"How do you know it's in the southern kingdoms?" the hooded man said, paying little attention to his words.

"A good tracker never reveals his secrets ...

The man then took out a second bag of money, equal to or heavier than the previous one, and placed it on the table.

"It is said that he left the corpse of a night fury near the enchanted forest," the other man explained as he eyed the bag, "and less than a week ago someone sold several of the animal's teeth on the southern black creature is a practically extinct species, it can only be this one."

"Where in the south?"

The tattooed man took another gulp of his beer as he was again surprised by the dry cough.

"Between Bränderson and Westergaard," he specified.

This, while still confusing, confirmed the suspicions of the first man and raised hopes of finding the dragon slayer before Drago.

"Do you want us to continue investigating?I'm sure we can find it," the tracker said, chewing and coughing and filling his mouth with hot beer again, "but I warn you that it won't come cheap."

To his surprise, the other man smiled.

"No," he declared."I no longer need you."

The tracker nearly choked on hearing him, unable to contain his damn cough.

"That wasn't the deal," he complained furiously, trying to control his devilish hoarse cough as he slammed on the table."Besides, you still owe us money… and on your skin you better not piss us off, unless you want the whole world to know that the queen's lawmaker is plotting against her."

Despite the public proclamation of his identity, the man was not even nervous.

"I no longer work for the queen," he said quietly."Nor you for me."

At that moment, the legislator took the second bag of money that he had left on the man tried to stop him, but he couldn't stop coughing and he began to turn purple, losing his strength.

"I don't think you work for anyone else, cretin." He yanked the bag out of the other's hands.

The tattooed man put both hands to his throat, coughing nonstop, noticing that each attempt to take a breath made it harder for him to legislator observed him with a cool smile, not even flinching as the man's eyes were stained with blood and his face turned purple until he fell dead on the plate of food that moments before he was swallowing.

Gracefully he rose from the table and walked over to the corpse to remove the first sack of money from his this he approached the bar and dropped the purple bag with the clink of coins.

"Thank you very much for the service," he said to the waitress, "and for the rest."

And without further ado, he left the tavern where people continued to eat and drink quietly while the innkeeper and her husband removed the body of the dead man.

Elsa was exhausted and her lungs ached from so desperately demanding the chilly morning blood was pumping hard in her ears and her heart still hadn't calmed down, but it was worth it and more for that time of peace.

Dawn workouts with Astrid were certainly becoming her favorite part of the day.

She could proudly admit that she had improved a lot and that her body was in better shape than fact, her legs and arms had taken on some bulk and she no longer exhausted so easily when running through the woods.

They had also practiced combat with weapons for days, and Elsa was as surprised as she was amazed that she loved to fight with was like using her magic, but in a much more aggressive and exciting way, as a tangible extension of her. Besides, Astrid was right;the best thing about fighting was trying to guess the other's Viking was far ahead of Elsa in that regard and almost always ended up beating , that morning Elsa had had what is called a 'small victory'.

The truth was, Astrid had simply slipped in the snow, otherwise, Elsa wouldn't have had a chance, but she liked to take this as a small victory, especially since she'd managed to disarm Astrid before she fell.

"That's cheating," Astrid said as she stood up in pain, her hand on her butt.

"I haven't used my magic," Elsa defended herself, who was telling the truth.

"I don't believe you," the Viking said mischievously, challenging her to a new fight.

Then, as was already a ritual between them, they sat down to watch the sunrise from the were both still red with exertion, their hair matted and their breathing labored,but with the wonderful sense of calm that morning always gives to those who rise to receive it.

Elsa still felt terribly bad about her kiss with Hiccup and even though the boy had promised not to tell Astrid, she couldn't help holding her stomach, consumed by the horrible feeling that Astrid would find out and end their tentative new friendship.

"What are you thinking about?"The Viking smiled at her, taking the Queen by surprise when she looked at her.

Elsa looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

"Nothing, just that my arms hurt a lot," she replied with a banality.

Astrid laughed, that hearty laugh she always had.

"Yeah, my ass aches too," she joked, referring to her fall.

Elsa returned the knowing smile and turned her attention back to the had she never gone up to that place before?It had truly become her favorite place in Arendelle and she was sorry that they had had to raze her kingdom to begin to leave that gloomy castle and discover the beauty of that place where she had been born.

The queen noticed then that Astrid was letting go of her hair and starting to pick up a braid again, since the previous one was more than destroyed from all the hustle and was hypnotic to see her braid her hair with that care and delicacy that so few would think a warrior like her had.

"I love your hair," Elsa said then, with a certain modesty.

She felt like an idiot saying it out loud, but Astrid smiled at her anyway.

"Thanks, even though I always have a mess of it," she accepted the compliment in his own way."Yours is also very pretty; I've never seen anyone with hair so white."

Elsa blushed at the comment, not sure exactly if it was a compliment or not.

"Do you want me to braid it for you?"Astrid offered then as she finished her braid.

This really took the queen by surprise, who did not know what to , not that Astrid needed an just walked over to her and sat a little behind took a deep breath and let herself be done, feeling Astrid's fingers carefully undo her disheveled braid and begin to comb it gently.

"I hate being combed," Astrid confessed to the queen then."I'm a bit of a maniac for such things, but I love braiding people's 's… I don't know, very relaxing."

"Yes…" was the only thing Elsa could think of to say, especially when she felt Astrid's fingers close to her neck, picking him up and selecting some strands.

"Sometimes I braid Hiccup's hair too," Astrid continued."There was a time when he wore his hair longer and almost grew a beard, but he ended up shaving it off because he said he didn't want to look like his father."

That made Elsa could almost imagine Hiccup saying those truth is that they hadn't spoken since the 'incident' beyond a few friendly words,as if everything they'd built for weeks had fallen apart in a that instant she was hit by a deep sorrow, as if she had lost something she really needed and didn't have the courage to get back.

"So the braids he's wearing were made by you?"Elsa asked, biting her lip, somewhat guilty.

"That's right," Astrid said calmly, concentrating on her work."He loves to have his hair touched, but don't tell him I told you." Astrid laughed, doing a bad male voice imitation. "You know, testosterone and Vikings."

"Well, Hiccup doesn't look like that."

"Hiccup isn't like that," Astrid confirmed with a light laugh that tickled Elsa's neck."He only struggles because he thinks that's what they expect of him, but hey, you know him."

"Yes of course…"

"By the way, is something wrong?"she asked, taking Elsa's breath away."You two have been very strange these days."

Elsa swallowed hard, not knowing what to course she couldn't tell her that they couldn't even look at each other's faces because they had kissed like there was no tomorrow.

"We had a disagreement," the queen lied."Nothing serious."

"A disagreement?" Astrid asked.

"I put too much pressure on him with my dancing and manners," she explained. "I think I made him feel a little bad."

"Well, he'll get over it," Astrid said quietly."Hiccup tend to push himself a lot sometimes; he always thinks he's not up to the task."

"I know," Elsa nodded to herself, remembering Hiccup's own words the night they kissed.

"He's very fond of you," Astrid said to Elsa's surprise, giving her a wry smile."Since he was a child, it has always been difficult for him to open up to people and make 's always been a weirdo… and you can probably tell, he still 's not normal for him to open up so much with anyone, so if he has done it with you it's because he considers you a friend."

Elsa gasped, her stomach knotting at those words.

"I like him too, yes," she said courteously, with a formality that tore at her soul.

If Astrid noticed anything strange, she didn't let Elsa just kept braiding her hair in silence, until she was satisfied, managing to gather her hair into a complex braid with a few smaller ones.

"It's very pretty, thank you." Elsa touched her hair, watching the girl work.

"It looks great on you," Astrid said, avoiding for a second looking Elsa in the eye."You almost look like a Viking."

Elsa it didn't seem like such a bad idea to appear so.

They were silent again, watching the sun rise and bathe Arendelle in its light.

"I have a bad feeling," Astrid confessed then.

Elsa looked at her somewhat uncertainly, not knowing what he meant.

"Is it about the dance?"The queen wanted to inquire.

"Yes," she confirmed."I feel like something is not right."

Elsa gulped.

"Yeah ... I have a bad feeling too," she confessed, stroking the braid the Viking had made for her."I'm afraid it's a trap."

They both took a breath, absorbed in their own concerns.

"Astrid, if something happens in our absence," Elsa began seriously, before looking at the Viking warrior with new determination, "please take care of Anna. I know that maybe it's selfish considering all those who have to be protected, but…" She tried to search for the words, anguished. "I could lose everything except her.

Elsa was surprised to notice Astrid's touch on her hand, who squeezed it with hers as a token of promise.

"I swear to the Gods that I will protect her with my life," she said with conviction."You just promise me that you'll be all right, and that you won't take unnecessary risks."

"I promise," Elsa agreed.

Astrid sighed, something indecipherable.

"Hiccup is the only family I have," she said, somewhat downcast."I lost my parents over years of raids, my uncle was killed by the Flightmare when I was a child… I can't lose him."

Elsa felt her heart break in two listening to her.

"Hiccup is very intelligent, but he has too much heart and I'm always afraid that will kill him," Astrid said, with that expression that the queen did not quite understand."Please take care of him."

"You have my word."

Astrid smiled sincerely at her, as if she really trusted her words one hundred , for her part, pumped up her arms and smiled back, hating herself for feeling so vulnerable to her own feelings.

It didn't take them long to get back on their feet and go through the usual routine, increasingly prone to chaos.

The people had been disappearing little by little and in the castle there were hardly any warriors left, just some wounded who had not been able to be transported, healers and some servants who had decided to stay until the end, whatever happened.

The rest of the families and citizens of Arendelle had already left for their own safety to Berk, leaving behind everything they had known to lay their lives in the faith that those 'barbarians' wouldn't just kill them right off the boat.

Most of them had never left the kingdom, so it was difficult for them to leave the land where they had been born and where they thought they would die.

The council had also been dispelled by order of that she didn't keep listening to their opinions, but she was no longer interested in gathering them all in one room to wreak she needed an opinion from the soldiers, she would go to the colonel or the lieutenant and if it was on another matter, to the she wasn't about to go through any more humiliation, especially since the council had grown old and entrenched in other no magic queen of ice could have advisers who feared magic and ridiculed or rejected any kind of belief out of their scope.

Many of them had deserted and left the kingdom, among them the older ones, who made their way east, in search of had dutifully mounted the boats to Berk and some had simply disappeared overnight, like the legislator, who had left without a trace - although some claimed they had seen him prowling around.

The issue is not that Elsa lost out on her sleep, she had enough with her worries. Her time was now focused on rereading her aunt's stories over and over again, looking for a relationship between them and wishing she could find a certain correspondence with there was also the management of the dance and of course her business with Hiccup.

Hiccup.

It even gave her a headache to remember it, especially because she felt terribly would have confessed to her sister, but Anna seemed very focused on raising an army of women and getting Astrid to plan an evacuation plan in case of that, she didn't have many more people to talk was left?Astrid of course could not be told, nor did she perhaps have the confidence to do feelings for Astrid verged on platonic, because she was pretty sure Astrid didn't like women. Then maybe there was Kristoff, but she wasn't close enough to tell him something like that confess?Well, God was not an option, least of all Father Gerard, who had already boarded the last boat to , what would she say to the priest, that she felt guilty for having kissed her husband?

Elsa did pray for him, for Father Gerard, so that the man of faith would not get in trouble in 'pagan lands', as he himself said.

The only person to whom she could have confessed something so intimate, oddly enough, would have been Hiccup of course, he was not an was her problem.

And a terrible problem, because despite the guilt, she couldn't stop thinking about him and that kiss they had had been so intense and fleeting that Elsa sometimes struggled to recall that feeling, so she could at least keep it to , she couldn't and it was only remembered that he had felt warm.A warmth so soft that it tickled her belly every time she remembered it, every time she tried to regain the feeling of kissing Hiccup, of him holding her and pressing her against his body…

No.

Those thoughts were getting her couldn't be loved Astrid and Astrid loved was no place for her in that story, she repeated over and over again in her had just been a silly slip.

She had heard other women say that men were weak to that was what had , she also felt weak, because the only thing that was clear to her, no matter how much she wanted to deny it and never admit it, was that she wanted to kiss him again.

And that is why she had been avoiding him for almost three days.

They read separately, ate at different times, excusing themselves that they had things to do, and at night they each went straight to their room before they could say anything more than good bureaucratic issue was easier, because they sat at a table with more people and made decisions on which they always fact, they had never been so in agreement with each other since they met.

However, the truce did not last that long, especially when Hiccup learned that Elsa was planning to make the trip to Bränderson on horseback.

"Elsa, do you have a moment?"He accosted her in the corridor, after a guard told him they were getting everything ready for the trip."Is it true that you plan to go to Bränderson on horseback?"

Elsa's heart stopped when she heard Hiccup's voice calling her and more in the middle of the hall.

"That's right," she said simply."Why do you ask?"

Hiccup was more than obvious.

"I thought we would go flying."

There he realized his go flying meant to go together on Toothless.

"Some soldiers and maids from the service will accompany us, it is my duty as queen to accompany them," she said formally."Also, it's only four days, it's not that far."

Hiccup screwed up his face, able to fly, it seemed silly to him to lose four days when he could arrive in one by , he didn't know what to say to Elsa and it wasn't that he wanted to just stare at her silently in a lonely hallway.

"Okay," Hiccup agreed, not knowing what else to say.

"You can fly with Toothless if you want," Elsa clarified then, in an attempt to smile."It would be calmer if we didn't stay in the kingdom for longer than we have to.I estimate that we will arrive the afternoon of the fourth day, we can meet again there."

"Okay," Hiccup agreed, marveling again at Elsa's ease of solving problems, although he was sure that decision was aimed at maintaining that silent distance that they had marked between his doubts, Hiccup thanked her, thinking that maybe that would clarify his ideas.

The day they left, Arendelle was emptier than ever and the silence in the castle was such that they seemed to have returned to the times of before, when people had their own houses and the castle had not been flooded with refugees.

Colonel Roston asked Lieutenant Riell to accompany the queen on her journey, along with other would have volunteered to accompany them, but she felt she had to protect Arendelle in case the wind changed direction and her ill omens came , she did come to see the queen off, like the rest.

"Elsa!"she managed to arrive in time just before Elsa climbed onto her saddled horse.

"Astrid," she answered with a smile, having already given up hope of saying goodbye to her.

"I didn't want you to leave without saying goodbye," she said breathlessly."I've brought you something, too."

"Why?"was the only thing Elsa could think of to say, unable to restrain a grin she knew must make her look like an idiot; she wasn't used to receiving gifts or presents from anyone.

Astrid reached into a pocket, from which she extracted something wrapped in cloth.

"I know your powers are enough, but ..." she handed that cloth to Elsa, which concealed a shiny object."It's always better to be prepared for everything."

Elsa took the object in her hands, overwhelmed by how beautiful it was a kind of raised hair pin, finished with a kind of dragon wings that also had small blue scales.

"Astrid, it's gorgeous…" she said almost in a whisper, running her fingers through it."How…?"

Astrid grinned, with an almost mischievous grin.

"If I'm honest, Hiccup helped me a bit," she revealed, "well, quite a bit."

"Thank you very much," she said."I don't even know what to say, it's just gorgeous; I gladly accept it."

"Of course."

Elsa would never have imagined Hiccup and Astrid doing something for than anything, because hardly anyone ever did anything for her, except Anna.

"The design is mine," Elsa heard the voice of her sister, who approached the crowd almost running to hug her.

The two of them melted into a long hug, asking each other to stay safe and be careful.

"What is it exactly?"Elsa asked, still marveling at the beauty of the object.

"It could be a hairpin," Astrid explained, "but it's maybe… too sharp."

"It's a weapon," Elsa guessed.

"A very discreet one," Anna added."Just in case."

"Thank you."

This time Elsa hugged them both tightly, promising and making them promise that everything would be fine and that they would be reunited very soon.

However, they did not delay the departure much longer and more when they spotted Toothless in the sky, a sign that it was time to may not have accompanied them, but he did plan to escort them over the first leg from the air, until they reached the royal roads.

Hiccup asked Elsa to be two of them had said goodbye the night before leaving, where they had shared a somewhat cold hug, both of them talking about minor things just in case those overwhelming thoughts returned with the thought it wouldn't be a good idea for them to go down main roads, but Elsa explained that past the mountains, it was all small towns and kingdoms up to Bränderson, so it was safer than loitering in the Viking accepted, but said that he would accompany them to that mountain pass.

The pace was obviously not the same, so it was easy to see how the night fury sometimes disappeared feeding Hiccup's urge to he always returned to his position over their heads, almost acting as a black guardian afternoon they reached the mountains, where Elsa waved Hiccup farewell and Hiccup, worried, waved back to her from the air before starting back toward Arendelle.

Those four days of travel seemed eternal to food cart they were carrying got stuck several times on the road and a horse injured its leg, forcing them to stop for also began to share Hiccup's theory that the roads were not entirely safe, since when they stopped at an inn for the night, they noticed a lot of hostility and strange said nothing, but she was able to hear some words that, although she didn't understand the meaning, she recognised from conversations she'd overheard among the Vikings. As much as she wanted to dismiss it as paranoia, that meant that there were people from the archipelago in their kingdoms. Outsiders, more enemies than on the second day they opted to camp directly in the forest and so on until they reached Bränderson.

For his part, Hiccup spent all those days as lord and master of those lands, which made him feel completely Elsa there, he was the highest authority, the king, and he couldn't help feeling days went by forever solving problems and discussing plans with Anna and Astrid on how to create defensive barriers and establish an evacuation plan if also took turns helping the healers, being surprised to notice that Lena avoided him for some unknown reason, since the last time they had spoken she had been quite it was simply because he had come to Elsa's defense, he thought.

What had that woman told him?That Elsa was cold and couldn't love heart sank at the memory, wondering if she might be right.

The nights were the only time of day where he found any respite and although he was not particularly proud, he had to admit that part of that comfort was found in the warmth of Astrid's felt awful, but every night he came to her like a moth into the light, as if he only found calm between the folds of her because it was the only time when he felt like a man and not a , only Astrid saw him for what he was and loved him in the same , the girl was more abstracted thanother times and although she gave herself as always in sex, she used to stay awake hours later, lost in thought, lost in a place she did not share with Hiccup.

"You're good?"she always asked, as they hugged after their climax.

"Yes, of course," he responded. "Just get some sleep."

In fact, that strange estrangement with her made Hiccup rethink many course he had thought of Astrid at all times since that strange situation began, but deep down, he had not been able to imagine how she couldn't be very nice to become a king's mistress and see the person you love on the sly, even if he insisted that he didn't see her that way.

Hiccup knew it, knew that Astrid was in pain and that she wasn't going to share it with there was something that Astrid wasn't even aware of, but that Hiccup couldn't see, no matter how hard he tried.

On the fourth day of Elsa's departure, Hiccup set out at dawn on Toothless's course, he had sworn a thousand times to Astrid before that he would return safe and sound, otherwise the Viking had sworn to kill him.

"If anything happens… don't wait for us," Hiccup asked."Promise me."

Astrid nodded determinedly.

"Promise me they won't kill you." She hugged him tightly.

However, Hiccup's march did not take long and before the sun rose he was already in the air, heading for that unknown looked back several times, while Arendelle blurred before his eyes and the horizon changed, heading for that party of wolves with sheep faces.

The sun had not yet made landfall when Elsa and her people entered the Bränderson lands called themselves 'kingdom', but the reality is that they belonged to various marquisates that the duke had unified in his cousin also lived in a castle that, although not as beautiful as Arendelle's, had an imposing bombast that made it the envy of the nobles.

The children were the first to appear on the streets to greet the strangers, as were the parents, who looked fearfully at was impossible not to recognize her, even if they had never seen her in were many legends about her and it was easy to know that it could not be another woman, for no one had hair as white and skin as pale as the Snow Queen.

Elsa smiled when she saw all the children surrounding them with curiosity, so she used her magic to create a snow path that left the little ones absorbed and Riell walked by her side, firm and at the disposal of his queen, making sure that everything was in had confessed to him during the trip that she had a bad feeling and the young man, devoted to his profession, had sworn that his eyes would be wide open.

Of course, they weren't the first to arrive, as there were already a great mass of people at the gate of the imposing castle, mainly servants and knights from other lands whoserved their immediately recognized some carriages and flags and felt a bit of anger, as many of them belonged to the kingdoms she had written to for , her biggest concern at that moment was not that, but Hiccup.

The queen kept looking up at the sky, searching for a sign from the boy without any feared that she would not arrive on time or that something had happened to her on the way.

"But what a wonder my eyes see!" the Duke said when he saw Elsa, the older man standing at the gate of the castle to greet them, "I already thought my beloved cousin would not come."

Elsa got off her horse before the watchful eyes of the other nobles who were also at the entrance, as well as her servants and other recognized many faces at once, although, as was often the case, few were people she regarded as then there was of course the Duke of Bränderson, his smile sharp as always.

Elsa and her cousin had been born fourteen years apart, so she had always been used to seeing him , at first glance, she noticed that he was older than ever, revealing some white streaks in his thick brown hair that he had always worn with pride, as well as some wrinkles under his pale was strange, but now that she was older, she could almost find a resemblance to her father.

"Emil," she called him by his Christian name. For Elsa, this man was practically a stranger, but after all he was one of the few relatives she had left, so there was no reason to make him a victim of her public contempt,despite not trusting him a hair.

"My beloved cousin, you look good, as beautiful as ever."

The duke approached and kissed Elsa's hand formally, while she bowed slightly.

"And your beautiful sister?"he asked out of politeness.

"Anna was unable to accompany me, as you know, our lands were ravaged by a tyrant and his dragons," Elsa observed, her tone possibly too loud even if she wanted to make it clear that her letters had expressed the urgency of the situation. "As I explained in my letters, we are still working on recovering."

"A catastrophe that touched my heart," the duke said, before Elsa's frozen gaze."Although forgive me for continuing to take the issue of dragons as a fantasy."

"I thought them a fantasy too, until they burned my town to the ground."

"A terrible fact that I fear you have had to live through in your reign."

"Pointless violence is always a terrible event," Elsa said, somewhat irritated by this empty conversation, "but a war is coming and at least it won't catch us off guard."

At that everyone began to whisper, aware that the Snow Queen was not announcing any nonsense, but they were too scared to think thatthese legendary creaturesreallyexisted or that this war of which he spoke could reach their kingdoms.

After all, Arendelle was the last kingdom in the north, for beyond it was only the unexplored land of the enchanted this reason and because of the rumor that Elsa was cursed, everyone thought that this war was related to mysteries that only hovered around the magic queen.

"Excuse me cousin, but I thought your husband would also accompany you," he then launched, to the liking of the rest of the noble and curious.

"That's right," Elsa cut in, "I don't think it'll take him long to get here."

"Undoubtedly the news of your engagement caught me off guard; I did not take you for a woman to stay under the arm of a man and less that of a Viking."

Elsa forced herself to smile and take this for the joke it was supposed to be. However, under the words of her cousin she had hidden a desire to satisfy and satisfy the curiosity of the rest of the nobles, whose great defect was their poisoned viper-like tongue,plus many others that Elsa could list for hours.

"Yes, there are times of change," Elsa smiled. "You have to open your mind to good offers, and what better for a magical queen than a dragon tamer?"

The duke laughed, though the tension could be cut with a knife.

"I am amazed, sweet Elsa," he said, "and eager to meet then the man who has dared tame you."

The duke laughed again, accompanied by other nobles, although Elsa was not knew that somehow everyone loved and was horrified at the idea that the Snow Queen had married a Viking, especially because of the horrible things that were said about those 'pagans' in those agreed that it was divine punishment for the uptight and vain attitude that everyone thought Elsa it was possibly just envy and fear towards a woman with such power.

The duke's laughter was then cut short as some nobles let out a cry of terror pointing to the looked up too, alert and prepared for the , she couldn't do anything other than smile to herself.

Maybe Hiccup was wrong, but he knew how to make a good entrance.

At the top of the Bränderson castle flew the night fury and its rider, dressed in his flight suit that made him look more like a demon than a human in the eyes of those all broke into a run as that huge beast began to descend, letting out a thunderous roar that could freeze the blood of the bravest of duke himself took a step back as he saw the beast shouted backward, all except Elsa, who remained in her quiet place, challenging her cousin with a warm smile.

A light dust rose as the animal touched down, showing its teeth to the nobles who looked as if they were going to was then that a metallic sound was heard and his rider jumped down from it and removed his helmet, standing next to the ice queen.

Hiccup was not what any of the nobles had imagined for a Viking, but flying over on that 'demon' had been enough for them to see him as such.

"I'm late?"Hiccup said nonchalantly as he pushed his hair back.

"Just in time, dear," Elsa smiled at him, with some pride."Let me introduce you to my cousin Emil, Duke of Bränderson and lord of these lands."

The duke took a moment to react, until he plucked up the courage to shake Hiccup's hand.

"A pleasure, sir," Hiccup said sincerely, shaking hands."I am Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of Stoick the Vast of the Hooligan tribe of Berk, leader of the Dragon Riders and the Dragon Master… at least, that is how I am known in my land."

"The pleasure is mine," replied the duke somewhat in shock, who could not take his eyes off the huge beast behind them.

"That one there," the young man followed the duke's gaze, "is my dragon Toothless, who is also delighted to meet you."

Despite Hiccup's almost ironic words, the dragon glared at the duke and bared its teeth. If Toothless could have, he would have hit Hiccup with his tail, for having brought him to such a place full of people that smelled course, only Hiccup could read his dragon's thoughts on his angry face, which undoubtedly inspired terror in the nobles.

"He is also now King of Arendelle, but my husband is very modest." Elsa smiled.

There was an unprecedented silence around him since no one was able to get the courage to even murmur.

"A joy to have you here tonight," the duke tried to relax, appearing normal, without taking his eyes off the dragon."The truth is that we were taken by surprise when my cousin announced her marriage."

"Yes, my wife is a very surprising woman," the Viking simply replied with a smile.

Hiccup then looked at Elsa, seeking her approval and she smiled more than satisfied.

"Is your daughter okay, Emil?"Elsa asked.

Everyone knew of her delicate health, and her cousin's daughter was possibly the only close relative for whom Elsa did have great sympathy and affection.

"Wishing to see you," the duke smiled uncomfortably."Well, I imagine you must be tired from the long journey," he cleared his throat."My servants will accompany you to your stay, so that you can rest before the Highness," he said then, looking at Hiccup," this is the first time I have the pleasure of having such a magnificent creature in my kingdom, will you leave it here?"He asked with some fear."I could find him a place in the stables."

Elsa looked at Hiccup curiously, expectant of his Viking just smiled, approaching Toothless and moving a metal lever under his , the dragon's wing unfolded and before a few words that Hiccup whispered in his tongue, the dragon was thrown into the sky, not before growling at those present.

"There is nothing more dangerous than a caged dragon," Hiccup said. "If you don't mind, my dragon will stay flying in your lands."

"Of course," the duke just said.

"Thank you very much, Emil," Elsa said cordially, before she took Hiccup's arm to enter the castle.

.

When they reached their room and all the servants left, Hiccup and Elsa looked at each other and laughed, not even remembering that they had been avoiding each other for days.

"You should have seen my cousin's face," Elsa said, aware of how malicious she could sound, but enjoying every bit of that moment.

"Do you think it was too dramatic an entrance?"

"It was perfect, believe me."

"Gods, you were right," Hiccup replied, "they're all stretched out in these lands."

"And you still haven't spoken a word with anyone," she said with a crooked smile."By the way, I didn't know that your dragon could fly alone."

"Yes, he can, but he doesn't want to," Hiccup replied, taking off the protections of his flight suit."Years ago I made him a tail so he wouldn't have to depend on me, but he doesn't handle it quite well."

"And you're not afraid to leave him alone?"

"Toothless knows how to take care of himself," Hiccup said somewhat tentatively. "Besides, I've asked him to hide; it just seemed safer than leaving him in a stable, especially in case he ate a horse."

"Would he do something like that?" Elsa asked, suddenly anxious at the idea.

"Well, you've got to remember that dragons are still animals," the Viking replied, now taking off his knee pads."Toothless isn't dangerous or hungry enough to do something like that normally, and he's also used to interacting with other animals, but that does not mean that he doesn't have his own instincts."

Elsa nodded, feeling a chill run down her had always been docile to her after that first bout of had felt a magic very similar to hers emanate from him, comforting and calm and that very fact had made her feel that somehow she had a bond with him, although she did not know how to define it further. However, that revelation reminded her of the night Drago came to her kingdom and how those dragons did look bloodthirsty.

"By the way, I brought you something," Hiccup said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

The queen looked at him strangely, not knowing what he could have brought for her. It seemed more than enough that the boy had helped Anna and Astrid make the hairpin for her, which she was actually wearing hidden in her braid.

"It's silly, but I thought maybe it was important to you," Hiccup explained, blushing slightly as he removed something from his luggage.

"What is it?"

Elsa watched carefully as the boy discovered something wrapped in cloth, shown to be wearing two equal could tell from afar that they were not a piece of jewelry, but the queen was immediately fascinated to see that they included carvings of the emblems of their houses; specifically, a saffron flower that surrounded the ring, linked to the tail of a dragon.

"God Hiccup, they're beautiful," Elsa said in amazement.

"You like them?"he asked shyly."If I'm honest with you, I was somewhat ashamed to give them to you, but hey, you said they meant pacts, promises and union… That and I don't want you to be the only married person whose ring is not kissed."

Elsa giggled, catching the joke.

"I already told you that no one will dare to kiss my hands," she said ironic and authoritative, remembering her cousin's trembling when greeting her in this way, as if she could kill him for kissing her hands.

Hiccup then made a pretense of putting on his ring, when Elsa stopped him.

"It's bad luck if you put it on yourself," she said, removing the ring."Give me your hand."

Hiccup obeyed, holding out his hand as Elsa put the ring on then did the same to her, feeling the tingle of magic flow on his skin at the contact with Elsa's hands. At that same moment, both returned to reality, discovering themselves holding hands, looking into each other's eyes alone in that room.

Elsa was the first to put some distance between them, uncomfortable at having been tempted to kiss him again, and Hiccup, just as conscious, did the same and walked away to his belongings.

"Did you bring the suit I told you?"Elsa cleared her throat to avoid silence.

"Yeah, sure," Hiccup assured her, also uncomfortable."Should I put it on now?"

"Yes, of course," Elsa clarified."I should also change, my ice gowns are not the most appropriate for this party."

Hiccup thought her outfits were wonderful and that she looked gorgeous in them, but he bit his tongue to avoid acting like an idiot and further complicating the situation.

The Viking retired to the small adjoining room for the service and changed his clothes, adjusting them as best he truth is that it was quite difficult to dress alone and in fact he ended up hearing how several maids entered the room to help Elsa with the Viking felt a bit of a fool in those clothes, but he wasn't going to complain all, they were there with a very specific mission: recover the original manuscript of the story and get as many allies as possible.

When he thought he was practically ready, he went back to the room, struggling to fasten the damn cufflinks that were supposed to decorate the sleeves of that terribly uncomfortable suit.

Hiccup looked up then, meeting Elsa's huge blue queen looked different from other occasions, as if she radiated light and magic from every pore of her porcelain general, Elsa had always been graceful and imposing like a was part of the image she had created for herself and possibly he and very few others had seen the more human side of the , dressed like this, in a long blue, almost black, corseted dress and her hair completely tied back, she looked much more imposing than the Viking had seen her until and that she was wearing lipstick, as if her lips were the tastiest of fruits.

However, the surprise was mutual and Elsa gasped when she saw him, basically because Hiccup didn't look like fact, if it were not for the fact that he still kept the prosthesis in view, no one would say that he was not just another noble from those boy was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt, with different golden embroidery that adorned the sleeves of his suit perfectly adjusted to his had also combed his hair, although he still kept the braids.

"Wow," Elsa said against her will, swallowing, "you look… uh, different."

"Do I look so bad?" Hiccup frowned as he looked down at himself.

Elsa took a deep breath before answering and walked over to finish fitting his shirt, which was not quite on.

"You just don't look like you," she confessed shyly.

"Is that a compliment?"He teased, trying to relax and not get nervous about her closeness.

Elsa just smiled and motioned for him to take her arm.

.

Hiccup and Elsa walked slowly through the corridors of the castle towards the main hall, where the party would had never seen such luxury in his because of the castle itself, which was far less ostentatious than Arendelle's, but because of the display of food and servants that had been running around.

"The Countess of Orwall is the one I told you who married the Crown Prince of Westergaard," Elsa explained as they walked, speaking in whispers. "She is a very beautiful and young dark-haired woman, her family has always been loyal to us so if you see her, be if…

"Hans is a Westergaard," Hiccup recalled on the fly.

"Exactly, but they are my cousin's best business allies, so we can't snub them."

"Okay," Hiccup was making a mental note."And your cousin, he was a widower, right?"

"That's right, his wife died in childbirth of her daughter," Elsa explained somewhat sadly. "She was a very sweet woman and my cousin was crazy in love for her, as well as for her daughter, who is something like my… niece?"

"Big families can make things complicated," Hiccup mused.

"Family is always complicated," Elsa observed. "The thing is, my cousin has raised his daughter practically alone since my Aunt Marie health is very delicate, so she has not been able to leave this castle for years and she spends long periods in bed."

"And what happened to her?"Hiccup asked curiously, without malice.

Elsa took a moment to answer, feeling terrible pity for the poor her imposed loneliness and health reminded her in a way of herself.

"No one knows for sure," he replied."My cousin has brought the best doctors from all the kingdoms, but none have been able to explain her one believes that she will live for long, although others cannot explain how she can still be alive."

"Wow ... I'm so sorry," Hiccup said sympathetically.

"Don't be sorry, we can't do anything." Elsa held onto his arm."What I do know is that my niece was very close to Aunt Marie, maybe she can help us."

Hiccup nodded in understanding.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'll go talk to my cousin so he can give us a copy of the book and you try to get allies," Elsa said. "Hopefully we'll be able to go tomorrow… just try to smile."

Hiccup and Elsa soon reached the great hall where they entered arm in arm, smiling and splendid like two young rulers, powerful and in love,or at least that was the image they needed to give that night.

As they already imagined, they did not take long to be the talk of the night, capturing all the glances and opinions of the nobles, who curiously approached to give their congratulations to the couple on their her best facade from years of training, Elsa politely greeted each and every one of them and introduced them to Hiccup, who luckily had the natural ability to be liked and liked by was like an innate talent, he always knew what to say, who to say it to and how to say it.

Underneath all that facade, Elsa kept looking for her cousin, although it was really difficult to see him among the people and the hustle and some point she managed to locate him more or less alone, but when she tried to make the pretense of getting closer, someone new would come to congratulate her on her marriage or her cousin would go off to talk to was exasperating.

"You speak our language very well, Hiccup," a noblewoman flirted with him discreetly.

Hiccup didn't quite understand that the woman was making eyes at him, so he smiled and thanked her for the compliment.

"Yes, my husband masters our language to perfection." Elsa tried to mark some distance, who was fed up with that farce of compliments and manners.

She knew perfectly well what those women thought of barbarians, although perhaps she put the idea of having one so close to course, Hiccup didn't look like one fact, he looked impressive that night in Elsa's eyes, with those clothes that fit him like a glove, fresh and elegant, although without losing that wild side that she always saw in him, and in his stupid crooked smile.

"And do you have dances like this in your land, Your Majesty?"Asked another, somewhat younger and more graceful.

"Yes, of course, although they are not as elegant as these."

No, the Vikings certainly didn't have parties like would they be dressed like would they talk like that to each surely by that same hour there would also be someone lying on the floor people maybe some animal swimming in the punch.

"If your wife will allow me," added another, covering her chin elegantly, "is everyone on your land as handsome as you?"

The three women gave a light laugh that Elsa tried hard to imitate, like someone who laughs among friends.

"My husband is quite a peculiar man among his people," Elsa answered for him. "Hiccup, could you be so kind as to get some more drinks for all of us?"

Hiccup smiled mischievously at her and Elsa, against her will, blushed, feeling herself more because Hiccup was not expected to approach her and whisper something in her ear.

"I hope you don't disappear," he said in Viking on her tongue, so that only she would understand.

Elsa grinned like an idiot and nodded as Hiccup left, remembering what he told her the night they kissed, when she told him that her dream was to escape the dance by asking the boy to go get drinks.

"What did he said?"The women, gossips and accomplices approached Elsa.

"You are very nice," Elsa replied.

"What a liar," the three laughed, with the elegance of someone who has tried many times how to laugh.

"Elsa, how lucky you have been," said one as Hiccup had disappeared into the crowd.

"How badly luck is distributed in the world," said another ironically.

Elsa felt a little sorry to hear it, because she knew that the woman in question had been married very young to a man three times her age and that, unfortunately, he was not particularly graceful.

"It could have been worse, yes ..." Elsa responded out of inertia, who at that time saw her cousin pass by in the distance.

"The truth is, we were very worried that you would not find a man willing to accept your condition."

Elsa would have answered with some insolence if it were not because she was too focused on not losing sight of her cousin.

"When you announced that you had married a barbarian," the other continued, "we feared the worst, you know what is said about them and their manners ..."

"Yes, but the boy is a sweetheart and I'm surprised how well he speaks our language," the other woman continued."And when he got off that beast ... what heat has entered me."

They all laughed at the joke, agreeing, but Elsa had barely heard them.

"Is it true what they say about barbarians in bed?"a particularly beautiful young woman suggested, laughing."I wish my Harold was also a beast-tamer boy."

They all laughed again, all except Elsa who had found the perfect opportunity to see her cousin alone.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk to my cousin, tell Hiccup I'm not long," he said quickly.

The women looked at her strangely as Elsa already pushed her way through the looked at each other incredulously without understanding and disapproving of their behavior.

"This is surely a frigid one in bed," one ruled under the nod of all, as she finished her glass."Poor boy, what bad luck he had."

Elsa almost bumped into several servants and almost knocks down a tray of drinks, but she finally managed to catch up with her cousin who seemed to be saying goodbye to another man.

"Emil!"Elsa yelled to get his attention, clearing her throat and recomposing herself as a queen."Do you have a moment, my dear cousin?"

"I'm a little busy, my dear," the man said kindly, "but for you I can always take a moment, everything to your liking at the party?"

Elsa breathed in relief.

"Everything was magnificent and the food was exquisite as always," she said formally. "However, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Will it take long?"He asked somewhat impatiently.

"Not too much," she said dismissively. "I just wanted to ask you about one of your mother's books."

Elsa noticed something strange in the way her cousin was looking at her, as if something had changed at her was as if something was wrong with her, something gloomy… She felt a chill and for a second the voice of intuition told her to bite her swallowed hard, rearranging her thoughts and accepting that maybe her cousin didn't have to know what she wanted that book for.

"As you know, our kingdom has suffered many losses and the people are suffering greatly…" Elsa walked confidently."I had thought that a good way to lift your spirits was to read stories for the children, as your mother did."

The duke grimaced as he listened to her, as if naming his mother was too painful for him.

"A noble sentiment," he answered simply."If you'll excuse me..."

"You see, the castle also suffered fires," Elsa invented, "and some books have been burned… I fear that many have been lost forever in the fire."

"It would be an honor for me if you keep the memory of my beloved mother alive, but I don't know how I can help you..."

"Wouldn't you have a copy of them?"

The man was thoughtful.

"Maybe there's something in the library ... I'll ask them to find it for you and maybe next time we meet I can give it to you."

That didn't sound quite right.

"And couldn't we have them before we left?"Elsa asked, trying to hide the desperation in her voice.

"I don't know, my dear, I'm quite busy right now and I thought your kingdom was preparing for war," the duke positioned himself, "perhaps the tales can be postponed for a few months."

Elsa had to think fast, because she knew her cousin wouldn't stay long to listen to her.

"It's just… I'd like to find them soon… because…" Elsa had no idea what to say, until she blurted out an impulsive lie. "I'm pregnant."

The duke's eyes widened, unable to hide his astonishment at the news.

"In fact, it is Anna who has asked me to ask you for the stories," she continued, "as you can imagine, it is not the best time to bring a child into the world and my sister thought that your mother's stories would bring some hope for everyone and for my future know what Anna is like with children and it breaks my soul to see her suffer."

The man cleared his throat uncomfortably, not knowing what to say.

"Okay," he smiled at Elsa."I will ask you to find them.I am very happy for your future child, Elsa.I will pray to God for his health."

Elsa nodded gratefully and left with a bad taste in her hadn't exactly seemed like a victory, especially when he noticed the anguish in her cousin's at no time had she thought how painful the death of his wife could continue to be for all, she, too, still suffered from the loss of her , she desperately needed that book, and this was no time to consider the sentiments of a nobleman.

Elsa returned to Hiccup, who was still talking to those women who had been joined by their Viking smiled in relief when he saw her appear and offered her a glass of a sweet liqueur that stuck to the palate.

They discussed some more banalities with some nobles while Elsa tried to find an occasion to stay with Hiccup alone and ask him to move on to plan B: search directly from the , she did not have time to do so and more when she heard the clink of a glass to demand the attention of everyone present.

"Friends, relatives, and brothers," said the duke in a conspicuous and elegant manner."Thank you all very much for having attended, once again, this modest ceremony that my ancestors began in their day to commemorate the arrival of spring. The best moment of the year without a doubt, where everything is reborn, where the old dies and the new is born, the best of all of this reason, I could not imagine a better time to give you news that, although it breaks my soul as a father, makes me proud as a man."

Hiccup and Elsa looked at each other, sharing a confused and expectant did not understand so much paraphernalia and less when they had been living among the war wounded and misery for , Elsa almost died when she realized what was happening.

"Friends, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to announce the engagement of my daughter Lilian de Bränderson to Hans of Westergaard," he bellowed."It is a pride for me that our houses finally seal our long friendship through such an honor."

Elsa thought she would faint, especially when she saw her young niece appearing from one side of the room and Hans on the couldn't must be a nightmare.

"Elsa…" Hiccup said in a low voice, aware that Elsa couldn't breathe and had even turned pale.

However, the queen was in a very distant couldn't take her eyes off her niece, who was barely over fifteen years old, pale and emaciated, but smiling, holding hands with Hans, the man who had tried to kill her and her man who smiled happily and triumphantly as he prepared to stab her after leaving Anna to die, taking that weak girl's arm.

"Elsa," Hiccup called her again.

However, it was not his voice that brought her out of the trance, but that of her cousin.

"I would also like to congratulate my cousin, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, on her recent engagement and on the very happy news she has revealed to me that she has an heir on the way."

Hiccup's expression changed instantly, confused and aware that they were the center of all heir on the way?He looked at Elsa, searching for an explanation, but the queen had fallen into a stunned silence, with an expression of terror and anger that Hiccup had never seen on her he did what he did best and smiled for everyone raising his glass as he hugged and kissed Elsa on the forehead, burying her a little in his lap to hide her from gaze.

"To the health of my son," Hiccup called to the toast, as everyone seemed to be waiting, while shooting a 'grateful' look at the duke.

In fact, he said a word in his language to please everyone present who clapped and seems that it was very epic, although no one knew that he had blasphemed in his tongue, basically cursing all of those damn nobles.

"Elsa, darling," he called her, this time in a charming voice as he smiled at those who looked at them."Are you okay?Would you like to get some fresh air, dear?"

Hiccup needed an explanation and Elsa needed to move past looking like she wanted to kill someone, but there were too many glances around her, so the Viking took her arm and excused her saying that sometimes the queen got dizzy with wasn't until they were away from the crowd that Hiccup changed his expression and looked at her seriously.

"May I know what you said to your cousin?Particularly how you're supposed to be pregnant?"Hiccup demanded, fearing his surprised expression had given them away.

"Hans…" was all Elsa managed to say."I'm going to kill him."

That erased Hiccup's anger, which quickly turned to unease.

"Elsa," he grabbed her by the shoulders, "listen to me, I know you're angry, but that's not what we're here for."

"It's Lili, Hiccup." she glared at him."I'm not going to let Hans lay a hand on her, let go of me."

Elsa slipped out of Hiccup's grasp, but the boy stepped in front of her to stop her before she did anything stupid.

"Elsa, calm down, please; I need you to focus," he said, anxiously taking her by the hands."If you go after Hans after that announcement, we're never going to get out of here alive."

"He tried to kill me Hiccup, me and my sister," she declared without her voice shaking.

Hiccup immediately felt the enraged magic of the queen in his hands, aware of how his fingers were , he did not release Elsa.

"I know, but getting revenge won't do any good, at least not here and now." He tried to sound calm, looking into her eyes."Elsa, please."

Elsa thought she wouldn't be able to calm down, until she met Hiccup's warm gaze, as he looked at her with genuine him like this made her understand that the Viking was right and that she could not throw away the work of weeks in a fit of blind hatred, as much as that bastard deserved to freeze to death.

"OK ... you're right," she managed to say, meeting Hiccup's relieved smile."We're going to go back in there and we're going to act normally, make some pacts, and go to sleep without attracting attention."

"Thank you… Oh, and the next time you want to have a baby, let me know in advance," Hiccup jokingly said in his tongue, more relaxed.

As angry as she was, the boy's goofy smile made her calm down and even smile at his still didn't understand what that man had to make her so calm.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't have time to think of another excuse," Elsa replied also in that language, aware that it was the best way to communicate in case someone was watching them."And it's not like it was impossible… you know."

Hiccup laughed, relieved to see her more stable.

"You know it takes more than a kiss for that, right?"he said, amused, daring to joke about the forbidden subject that had led them to avoid each other for days.

Elsa raised an eyebrow mischievously and gave him a little push, dragging him back into the living room, to continue pretending that wonderful false normality.

"Don't separate from me," the queen asked him.

However, that was a practically impossible the bombshell news, everyone wanted to come up and congratulate asked him questions of all kinds, like what name would they give him if he was a boy or if Elsa believed that her son could have powers like her.

"You will baptize him in the Christian faith, right?"one asked very softly, as if afraid that the creature was doomed to hell before being born.

Elsa looked at Hiccup for some help, but he seemed to have problems of his own as a bunch of nobles had practically kidnapped him to ask him about the huge 'beast' he had flown in and what kind of political deals he had in mind to do between their lands and his own would have changed places with him with her eyes closed, but the reality is that, in everyone's eyes, he had become a kind of container with knowing that it was all a lie, she got angry and after a while the situation made her so desperate that she decided to excuse herself and go get something to drink.

Yes, she definitely needed to tried to speak to his cousin again without success, and the duke excused himself again, saying that he had matters of great urgency to attend was then that Elsa saw it.

They were both barely at a table from each other, pouring themselves a repeated in her head to calm down, but Hans' smile as he stared at her made her lose her mind.

"Elsa," Hans said, approaching her with a huge smirk."Congratulations on your engagement, I didn't expect to find you here tonight."

Elsa could feel the raging magic in her hands, but held it back using all her self-control.

"Thank you Hans, although if I'm honest, I didn't expect to see you here tonight either," she answered curt and elegant, what a queen she was, "I rather imagined you in a cell rotting for life."

The prince laughed, that laugh that made his hair stand on end.

"Elsa, Elsa ... always with that sense of humor of yours," he teased."My brothers have stripped me of all title and wealth, so that is the worst sentence they could give me.I hope you are satisfied."

"And that's why you marry my niece?"Elsa asked."Yes, taking power from others… sounds pretty familiar to me."

Hans's gaze darkened, but he didn't stop smiling.

"I'm the one doing that poor girl a favor by marrying her." He leaned closer to her."And you know it very well."

Elsa gulped, aware that no nobleman was planning to marry someone like her niece, sickly and with death stalking her at every moment.

"You said it, a girl," Elsa replied coldly."You're disgusting."

Hans laughed at the comment, as if it were a funny conservation between two good friends from the past.

"I'm not the only one with perversions, my dear." He lowered his voice and whispered. "Have you told your barbarian husband yet that he married a devious witch?Maybe he even likes the idea of you having it with other whores."

"And do you know how dangerous it is to anger a witch?"Elsa defended herself, fighting down her panic as she wondered how Hans could have learned that kind of information.

The young man took a step forward, standing almost dangerously close to Elsa's body, the queen forcing herself to stay still despite her fear.

"I have imagined many times what it would be like to see you again, Elsa," he whispered sensually, smelling her hair, "and I have to say that you have disappointed me a , the great ice witch, now trying to fit in among the nobles, with a kingdom in ruins, married to a barbarian and spawning a demon... I congratulate you dear, nothing could have gone worse for you."

For a second, Hans's words fell like a jug of cold water because, although she knew very well that they were not true and that they were poisoned, there was something of truth in them, and that is that Elsa did feel that she had thought she would collapse, until she felt a warm hand roll around his waist.

"Reunion of old friends?"Hiccup's voice said friendly, as if he knew nothing of the man."I'm Hiccup, delighted."

Hans shook hands firmly, exchanging the ruthless smile from earlier for a more formal one.

"Delighted… Hiccup?"he smiled at the strangeness of his name."Elsa was just telling me about you."

"Oh yeah?Hiccup said quietly, searching Elsa's inscrutable gaze for answers."Hope you weren't complaining too much."

Hans laughed at the joke somewhat forcedly.

"So you are the grand master of dragons everyone talks about?"Hans asked suspiciously. "The duke has already let me know about your great appearance this afternoon; I must confess, I imagined you differently."

Hiccup never lost his cool as he looked at Hans. Compared to some of the people Hiccup had encountered back in the Archipelago, Hans was just a cowardly egotist who didn't know what he was messing Snow Queen was someone to have respect for.

"Well, you know what they say; appearances can be deceiving," Hiccup finished with a smile that made Hans understand that the boy knew exactly who he was."If you'll excuse us, I was looking for my wife for the dance."

"Of course," Hans bowed slightly, leaving and disappearing among the nobles.

Hiccup and Elsa were silent for a while longer, realizing that Elsa was holding herself back emotionally before she could unleash an ice storm in that room.

"I don't need you to save me, Hiccup," she said then very seriously.

"I know, but there's a lot of night left, and this isn't the time to start an argument like that," he replied in the same tone."Besides, the Marchioness of Ardall has told me that the dance is about to begin."

The girl smiled and Hiccup could feel her relax against his body.

"The Countess of Üdrall," she corrected."Let's dance, yes, and try not to step on each other's toes."

Hiccup and Elsa came to the center of the court, like the rest of the was tradition, a lot of servants entered with trays filled with flower petals that they scattered addition, they opened the windows to let in the night air and the light of the full moon forecast for that truth is that to Hiccup all this sounded like the purest paganism, since it was quite similar to the ritual that they themselves did in their general, they did practically the same thing, with the exception that in their land that day women cut their hair and burned it at the stake.

Hiccup and Elsa held hands as they had rehearsed that one time things had gone wrong between , as Elsa noted, with music they didn't seem so ridiculous.

They both thought it would be very uncomfortable to repeat a situation like that, but to their surprise it was was rather the opposite, like feeling a deep relief to be able to share a moment of silence and was not exaggerating when she said that most of the nobles were snakes and even though Hiccup had shared some kind words with some houses, the rest had seemed like mere idiots.

"You're good?"Hiccup whispered in her ear when he saw her somewhat downcast.

Elsa hugged her husband without thinking about it, laying her head on his chest, imitating the way some couples dance. In reality, she felt completely exhausted and depressed because of the little they had achieved and the scorn she had been made to endure.

Hiccup tensed a little when he felt her close to his body, but he hugged her back and they continued dancing, fearing that with that closeness he might step on her.

"Elsa ... no one at this party deserves you," the Viking told her in his language, in that kind of secret code they had established."Everything will be fine, you'll see.I'm sure we'll find that book."

"I hope you're right," she sighed, perking up a bit when she noticed that some people were looking at them. Hiccup noticed it too, because he changed his tone and spoke to her with a soft laugh.

"I don't trust anyone at this party," he observed, almost laughing against his wife's ear in that foreign language.

Elsa laughed too, as if the boy had said the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Me neither," she said, stroking his chin and smiling."Keep your eyes peeled."

Without a doubt, seen from the outside, they were the most envied couple at that was also not very difficult as, unlike most nobles, they seemed to be truly in love, making 'confessions of love' in their ear.

Until that moment, neither of them had realised that they could feel such a sense of peace with each other again, particularly after what was more than a sense of peace, but more like finding a piece of wood to cling to during a storm on the high seas, as if Elsa's magical influence or Hiccup's warmth protected them both from all was all so easy that they even felt had that stranger in front of them with whom they danced become so important to them?How was it possible that despite the condemnation and challenges that had been part of their marriage from the beginning, neither of them wanted this weird situation to end? Hiccup thought about Astrid and what it would be like to dance with her, with her mischievous laugh and rosy cheeks, but after a while that image changed in his mind. Not because he didn't want to have her there, but because he didn't want to trade her for Elsa was not as simple as favouring one over the was much more complex, and although he knew that it would tear him inside, he did not want to stop dancing with Elsa, that unspoken, magical and authoritarian woman, with the goodness of innocence and the wrath of the Gods in her storm blue gaze, even as he also wondered what it would be like to share this moment with his fiery Valkyrie.

When the dance ended, Hiccup and Elsa couldn't be more grateful, each forcing down their confusion as they smiled in relief at each other.

"What's the plan?"Hiccup asked his wife, continuing the impression that they were just a couple enjoying a wonderful evening, their false closeness helping each other to hide their recent thoughts.

"We'll wait a bit for people to get a little drunk," Elsa said, laughing against Hiccup's ear.

The boy even felt a chill when he felt Elsa's warm breath against his neck, but he hid that that false closeness with her did not affect him.

"Then we'll say we're tired and we'll go," Elsa continued to review the plan."I think I remember the library being upstairs; we can go up, search for the book, and leave without anybody seeing us."

Hiccup thought it was crazy, but they needed was for the surrounding nobles to stop paying so much attention to them, as everyone kept coming over to congratulate one occasion the queen of the southern kingdoms also approached, asking Hiccup for a boy was going to refuse, but Elsa encouraged him to dance with her, knowing that the woman would have great influence as an ally.

When she was left alone, Elsa took the opportunity to get away from the crowd in search of some peace when she suddenly bumped into a man, spilling the drink on him.

"Oh, excuse me," he hastened to say.

"Easy, I always keep my head elsewhere," said the man, taking a handkerchief from his pocket to clean himself, with an accent that Elsa couldn't identify."Oh my, but I did stumble across the most interesting woman at this boring party."

Elsa didn't know whether or not to take it as a compliment, but she forced a smile.

"Thank you, Lord…?"

"Oh, what manners, forgive me," he excused himself."I am the lord of Zordán, a very far away land on the continent.I've been good friends with your uncle for years, although if I'm honest, I only came to this party because he promised me the presence of a magical queen."

"How flattering," Elsa replied, holding her own. There was something strange about this man that Elsa didn't young woman could not explain what or why, but something emanated from him that she instinctively rejected, and something about his appearance didn't fit him.

"What a coincidence that I ran into you precisely, I was looking forward to meeting you."

"It's part of the magic," Elsa joked uncomfortably.

"Will you grant me a dance, Queen Elsa?"

Elsa looked into the pale eyes of that man with the gray hair and long chin and thought he knew more than he wanted to give away, and he also recognised that she was no fool.

"To be honest, I heard you speak to your cousin the duke before," the man confessed apparently somewhat embarrassed."I was surprised to hear you talk about your aunt, she was a very precious friend to me."

It made Elsa lose her breath, as if it were the clue they desperately needed.

"Okay, let's dance," Elsa agreed. "It would be a horrible detail for me to put a good friend of the family down."

The man grinned from ear to ear, showing a long row of teeth.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty."

The queen felt a chill when the man took her by the waist to dance, thanking at least that he decided to keep his distance with her.

"So you knew my aunt?"Elsa got straight to the point.

"Yes, a woman of great skill," said the man, as if daydreaming."Many said I was crazy, but I have never met a more lucid woman in my entire life.I find it adorable that you want to read her stories to your future child, Queen Elsa, although your aunt's stories were never exactly for children..."

"I know," Elsa took advantage of that opportunity. "My sister as a child was terrified of one tale in particular, one that spoke of dragons, do you know it?"

"The princess and the dragon?One of my favorites," the man said, laughing as he led the dance down the floor."How talented your aunt was, to portray the tyranny of those beasts."

"I guess it's all about perspective sometimes, don't you think?"

"You say so because you married the dragon master?"the man answered skilfully, with a soft laugh to ease the queen's palpable tension."Well, the Vikings alwaysbelonged more to the creatures of hell than to the underworld, hence the familiarity with those beasts."

Elsa laughed somewhat uncomfortably.

"I'll try not to be offended, even if you just implied that my husband was a demon."

"Oh, my manners," the man apologized again. "Be assured, dear lady, I didn't mean for you to take it personally.I just wish you knew how to stay safe, for you and for your future all, not all legends are born out of nowhere and it is not simply said that Vikings kill, conquer lands, and rape women for no are smart, you will know which side to be on when the time comes."

"Do you also think a war is coming?"Elsa asked, ignoring everything else, forcing down the anxiety in her stomach.

"Of course," said the man, considerably more awake than most of the nobles Elsa had known so fact, maybe too much."The winds of war are moving and even if your cousin still doesn't want to listen to me, he will be the first to make sacrifices if he wants to keep what he has."

The music stopped then, a sign that the dance had ended and another began, this time with more lively music.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll get another drink," the man said, releasing Elsa."A pleasure to have been able to meet you and confirm that you are more beautiful and intelligent than they say."

"A pleasure, sir," Elsa said formally."I hope that the next time we meet we will not have to talk about war."

"Of course," he said, kissing her hand to say goodbye."It would be good to be able to share some of your aunt's readings; if you are interested, I still have the copy that terrified your sister."

Elsa felt her heart race at the sound, her blood pumping hard in her ears.

"I would like nothing more," she tried to say without showing her pulse racing.

"Don't leave without saying goodbye to me, maybe we can do good business," he said mysteriously.

The queen kept staring at the strange, white-haired man until he was lost among the nobles, after which she turned and ran off into the opened the glass door, her hands almost trembling, and went out to breathe desperately the cold air of the night,too chilly for the first spring the hell was that man?Elsa felt very was dizzy and disgusted, unable to contain the urge to vomit every time she remembered the twisted presence of that didn't know what was wrong, but at least the cold air did her good and kept her from throwing up all her dinner on the blooming rose bushes.

What had he meant by the right side?Or that her cousin should position himself? She was so dizzy that she couldn't think Hiccup?Where had he been? The thought of the man's words repulsed didn't know what therest of the Viking tribes must be like, but at least she knew that Hiccup and his people weren't like closed her eyes in agitation and clung with all her strength to believe that she could trust had so far done nothing to make her think that they weren't worthy of her trust, and the last thing she needed tonight was to think that she was sending all of her people to their took a calm breath, trying to push the images of bloodthirsty dragons and death that seemed to have returned to haunt her from her mind.

"Are you all right?" a familiar voice said then.

Elsa opened her eyes to meet the sweet face of Lilian, whom she had barely seen from afar all night.

"Yes, dear, I'm fine," Elsa calmed down, "I just got a little dizzy; what are you doing out here?It's very cold…"

Elsa was worried as soon as she saw her, especially because Lilian wasn't very warm and catching cold was not good for her delicate , after hardly seeing her for three years, Elsa had to admit that she noticed some improvement in her. She was no longer as pale as usual and her arms and hips had flared slightly; Elsa could even find a certain color in her cheeks.

"Don't worry, I needed some air too," the girl said with a friendly smile, "you know I'm a bit overwhelmed by crowds."

"Me too," Elsa agreed."Wow, you're really grown up, the last time we met you weren't even up to my shoulder."

The girl smiled and gave her a sincere hug.

"I'm also glad to see you, Aunt Elsa, you look very pretty."

The girl then offered her hand to accompany her and Elsa accepted, following her through the garden to some stone benches, where they sat.

"You don't know how happy I was to hear of your engagement," said the girl with a smile from ear to ear."I always thought Anna would get married first, when are she and Kristoff planning to get married?"

Elsa laughed at how obvious her single destiny seemed to everyone.

"I don't know, but it's not exactly the best time."

"Are you saying it because of the war in your kingdom?"She asked worriedly."My father told me about it."

"That's right, but don't worry, we'll be fine," Elsa reassured her.

"By the way, congratulations," said the girl, her eyes lit up.

"For?"Elsa asked puzzled.

"Your baby," she exclaimed excitedly, with her pretty voice.

Elsa felt foolish for having forgotten that detail, but she was glad that Lilian didn't seem to notice.

"I too would like to be a mother soon," she said as she tucked some loose strands behind her ears."God willing, I hope so."

The very idea of that poor fifteen-year-old girl giving birth to Hans's son gave Elsa goosebumps, but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"I know what you're thinking," the girl said then."My father has been keeping it from me, but I know what happened to Hans in your kingdom."

Elsa hadn't been expecting that.

"Lilian, Hans is not a good man who can give you what you deserve," Elsa said cautiously, taking the girl by the hand.

"I know, but I don't have many options either, and time is running out."

Elsa noticed a deep sadness in her words that she didn't know how to that moment she had not been able to see that her niece was no longer a girl, but a only had she grown physically, but her gaze had lost the innocent glow it always had and had grown darker, , despite her courage, Elsa couldn't suppress the concern that Lilian was going to a terrible fate for the sake of conformity.

"What is it like to be in love?"The girl asked with a smile.

Elsa found herself lost for what to say to that she ever been in love? Was there a way to explain it?

"Life is not so beautiful, Lilian." She tried to face the subject with maturity, without breaking her heart, but fearful that Hans might."As you know, mine has been a political agreement, I have not married for love."

"Well, neither will I," she said then, playing with the sleeve of her dress as she looked up at the sky."It's a good deal for my southern kingdom is very rich and although Hans no longer has a title, his last name still means something. Have you seen my father tonight? Although he seemed worried, he was very happy."

Elsa felt a knot in her stomach when she heard her say that, but she was so angry that she didn't even know what to say to her.

"I think your husband is in love with you," Lilian laughed, to the surprise of the queen. "He has that look."

"That look?"Elsa asked, feeling sorry that she might think that, considering that her and Hiccup had been putting on an act the entire night.

"You know," Lilian smiled thoughtfully at Elsa, "Grandma used to say that love is like a burning arrow that pierces your hurts if you carry it inside, but more if it rips it off.

Perhaps the queen was not so in agreement on love she felt for her sister or her past feelings for Lena was not painful, rather the impossibility of that love was what caused so much damage.

"Do you miss her?"Elsa asked for Aunt Marie, to divert the conversation.

"My grandmother?" Lilian's eyes lost their luster at that comment. "Very much.I think about her every day."

"Sometimes life takes away those we love the most too soon," Elsa tried to comfort her, putting a gentle hand on her knee.

However, the young woman changed her expression and looked at Elsa questioningly before taking a breath.

"You don't know what happened to her, do you?"

That caught Elsa by surprise, who looked at her Marie died two years before her coronation, shortly after her parents died, so at that time Elsa still did not leave her room, and even after she opened the gates she couldn't bring herself to probe too deeply into matters of the always thought that his Aunt Marie must have died in her bed when she grew up, as all nobles do.

"What happened?"She asked fearfully.

The girl swallowed hard, as if hesitating to tell her.

"It was a winter that I was very ill," she explained."I couldn't explain it to you, but for some reason something had changed in her ... Everything I remember from that time is very confusing, but sometimes Grandma would stay by the window for hours without speaking to anyone or she spoke to herself in a language that none of us could was kind of gone and she wrote all day without stopping, as if she feared that something might happen to her…" Lilian trailed off for a moment before continuing."One day there was a big snowstorm and without saying anything to anyone, my mother climbed to the top of the castle and plunged into the void."

Elsa's blood ran cold at the sound of it.

"My father is not going to give you any of grandmother's books," Lilian said. "I've heard you talk to that man."

"Do you know him?

"Yes, and he's dangerous," she said seriously."I don't like him, he has too much power over my father."

Elsa was very news about Aunt Marie had been unnerving on its own, and now the seriousness of her sweet niece had just made her feel even more upset.

"Let's go inside, Aunt Elsa," the girl stood up more relaxed, hugging her arms."I'm starting to get a little cold out here and my father will be looking for know how much he cares."

"Sure…" Elsa managed to say, increasingly anguished.

The queen raised her arm toward her niece, who leaned against her to she looked very bad, as if she had regained that sickly glow that she always girl pressed herself against Elsa's body, searching for a warmth she would never find in her.

"Do you promise that you will bring your son to me when he is born?"she said innocently."I would love to meet him…Although I have a feeling it will be a girl."

"Of course Lilian," Elsa said with a knot in her stomach, knowing she was blatantly lying to her."You will be the first to know it."

Until that moment she hadn't realized that this lie really mattered to niece's smile penetrated her heart as they entered the halls again, where the music and the festivities continued.

There was going to be a long night ahead.