~HHH~
The northern air rushed past Hiccup's helmet as he and Toothless scanned the sea for the island where he had first encountered the Hunters. Hopefully, they had abandoned their traps, but if they hadn't, the duo would make sure they did. As time passed, the island came into view. Drawing closer, they dove toward the water, careful to stay out of sight. Upon reaching the shore, they landed in a secluded grove. Grabbing Inferno, Hiccup braced himself for the worst as they trekked through the woods.
It didn't take long to find the first trap. Tossing a stone, Hiccup triggered it, watching as it snapped shut. "Well, bud, looks like we've got some work to do," he said. With that, they pressed on, collecting trap after trap to destroy. Hours passed, but no Hunters appeared. This was perfect. When the Hunters returned for their traps, they would be greeted by an ambush.
No dragon had been harmed today, which meant the traps had been set recently. It could be days, if not weeks, before the Hunters returned. But that was alright. If there was one thing the Rider had learned over the years, it was patience. Sitting in front of the fire, he couldn't help but wonder—if he had possessed that patience when he was younger, would things have turned out differently? Toothless nudged his arm, pulling him from his thoughts, and Hiccup smiled.
"Sorry, bud. Just thinking," he said. The dragon let out a low moan. "Just wondering if I had faced Berk... if I had shown them that you and the other dragons weren't the enemy." He gently ran his fingers over his friend's head, and Toothless cooed in response. The two sat in the wilderness, waiting for the inevitable.
~J~
Arendelle was just as elegant as he had left it, ripe for the picking. Johann turned to his crew of thugs. They were pathetic sailors, but hopefully, they would prove to be adequate soldiers. As the ship sailed toward the dock, he spotted guards marching along the pier. The trader turned to his men with a practiced, fake smile.
"If any of you are wanted in Arendelle, go below deck and wait for my return." Just as he had suspected, every single one of them disappeared below deck. He sighed. Taking over the sailing duties himself, Johann maintained his false smile as the ship arrived at the dock. Dockhands helped him secure the vessel while a guard marched toward him.
"Name and reason for entering Arendelle?" the man asked.
Johann bowed in feigned respect. "I am Johann, and I simply wish to trade," he said smoothly.
The guard scanned the deck before giving a nod.
"Enjoy your stay in Arendelle," they said before marching away. With that, Johann stepped off the boat, ready to flaunt his wares, perhaps earn a little nest egg and most importantly, steal the Ice Queen.
~EA~
Sipping her tea, Elsa was engrossed in a mystery novel. Kristoff had taken Anna on a romantic boat trip, leaving the Queen alone. She didn't mind. Nothing special had happened these past few weeks, and Anna deserved happiness. Tonight was meant to be uneventful. But then, the doors burst open, revealing a guard with a grim expression. Setting her book down and rising to her feet, the Queen felt a pang of unease.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A group of ruffians are brawling outside the palace. The guards have already been dispatched. I was ordered to protect you," the young man answered.
Elsa shook her head. "Go and help the others. Arendelle is no place for fighting," she commanded. The guard hesitated, but a sharp glare from the Queen sent him hurrying to assist the others.
Walking to the window, Elsa caught sight of the flickering glow of fires spreading through the market. Such terrible circumstances. She wished she could do more to prevent such violence. But once the fight was over, she was certain Kai would report what had started it. As she watched the flames creep closer to the city, Elsa opened the window, preparing to use her powers to quell the blaze. Just as she summoned her magic, a sharp pain pierced the back of her neck.
Her fingers trembled as she reached back and felt a dart. Fear clutched at her heart. She tried to release her powers but managed only to spread a thin layer of frost across the room before her knees buckled beneath her. A wave of weakness washed over her, and her vision blurred. The sound of heavy footsteps crunching against the frost echoed faintly in her mind. As her body collapsed to the floor, her eyes grew heavy, and darkness began to take hold.
~J~
Breaking into the palace was surprisingly easier than expected. Johann had sailed his boat to the palace's outer walls with ease, and most of the thugs were causing chaos outside, providing the perfect distraction. Now, with two of his men by his side, carrying the Ice Queen, he was close to victory. All he had to do was keep her sedated until he could control her. Reaching the walls, Johann climbed down the rope to his boat. One of the thugs followed him while he prepared to leave. The second thug descended with the Queen soon after.
"You, man the rudder. You, lock the Queen below deck and inject her with the venom every hour," Johann ordered. The thugs complied without hesitation.
Out of all these thugs, Johann had chosen these two because they were the better sailors. As he pulled up the sail to leave the harbor, he encountered resistance. Turning back, he saw the thug attempting to steer the boat toward the docks.
"What are you doing, you idiot? The sea is that way," Johann snapped, pointing toward the open water.
"But what about everyone else?" the thug asked, confused.
"They're expendable. We need to escape before anyone realizes the Queen has been taken," Johann commanded. The thug nodded and followed orders. The boat sailed into the open sea, and Johann couldn't help but smile, genuinely pleased with how smoothly everything was going.
~AA~
Leaning against Kristoff's arm as he drove the sled through the forest, Anna yawned. After their trip, she was exhausted. Her eyes grew heavy as her boyfriend wrapped an arm around her. Moments like this were special to her—he was everything she had ever wanted, a dream come true. But before she could drift off to sleep, the sled came to an abrupt stop, snapping her out of her exhaustion.
"What is it?" she asked, stifling another yawn. Then she saw it—a large pillar of smoke rising over Arendelle.
"Run, Sven!" Anna cried, grabbing the reins. The reindeer bolted down the hills, pushing himself to his limits. All the while, a single thought gnawed at her. Why isn't Elsa stopping the fire?
When they reached the city, chaos surrounded them. Lines of people stretched from the harbor to the flames, passing buckets of water to fight the fire. Without hesitation, Anna and Kristoff jumped in to help, working as hard as anyone. But Anna knew the truth—they needed help. They needed Elsa. Yet no matter where she looked, her sister was nowhere to be found.
After what felt like hours, the flames were finally extinguished. The air was thick with smoke as the townspeople turned to comfort one another. Food and drinks were passed around, and despite the destruction, there were cheers of relief.
Anna searched for Elsa, but the demands of caring for her people pulled her in every direction. As she handed a piece of bread to an elderly woman, something caught her attention—a strange cloak draped over the woman's shoulders. Though the cloak was covered in ash, the woman herself seemed untouched.
As she made her way toward the palace, Anna noticed more people wearing the same peculiar cloaks. The sight sent a chill through her already-tense body. When she finally reached the palace, it was in a state of chaos. Guards and servants rushed about the grounds, searching frantically. Before she could process the scene, Kai hurried toward her, his face pale with worry.
"Princess Anna, was Queen Elsa with you?" he asked urgently. Anna shook her head, fear clenching her heart. She couldn't lose her sister again. Without a word, she joined the search, silently praying that Elsa was safe.
~HHH~
It had been weeks since Hiccup and Toothless first arrived on the island. His rations were running low, but thanks to the Night Fury, he had become a skilled fisherman. Still, the waiting was the worst part. Day after day, they perched on a small mountain, anticipating the hunters' return. Today, Hiccup had a feeling, it was time.
As the hours crept by, his patience began to wear thin. But then, it happened, a silhouette on the horizon. Grabbing his spyglass, he spotted a large ship with the hunters' symbol emblazoned on its sails. Perfect. Climbing onto Toothless's back, they launched into the sky, rising higher and higher in preparation for the attack. Once they reached a good altitude, they hovered, scanning the waters below. Waiting for the right moment to strike.
Then came the dive.
Hiccup leaned forward, the wind howling past his ears. Reaching down to his belt, he unhooked two canisters filled with Zippleback gas. As they leveled out, the ship came into range. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the canisters onto the deck. He didn't stop to see the initial reaction, he didn't need to. Circling back, he spotted the hunters waving frantically, trying to clear the gas.
Too late.
With a sharp whistle, Toothless fired a plasma blast. The explosion tore through the ship, flames erupting into the sky. Hovering above the smoldering wreck, Hiccup scanned the water. Hunters flailed in the sea, struggling to reach the remains of their vessel. The duo destroyed any means for them to regain control of the ship before snatching one of the survivors. Toothless soared upward, carrying the terrified man higher and higher, until his screams pierced the air.
Once they reached a dizzying height, Hiccup leaned over the saddle, his voice cold and steady.
"Listen closely. I'm going to ask you some questions. If you don't answer, we'll drop you. Got it?" Hiccup asked and the hunter nodded frantically.
"Who are you people?"
"We're Dragon Hunters, hired by the Grimborns," the man blurted out.
"Where are they?"
"Northwest from here, maybe a four-week journey."
"How many of you are there?"
"I...I don't know. Thousands, I think?"
A cold pit formed in Hiccup's stomach. Thousands.
Without another word, Toothless dove back toward the sea, releasing the hunter to splash into the waves below. Hiccup urged his dragon toward the damaged ship. As they landed on the deck, the wood groaned beneath their combined weight. Dismounting, Hiccup ventured below deck. Rows of empty cages lined the dim corridor—no captured dragons today. Further inside, he found baskets filled with supplies. Grabbing one, he returned to Toothless and secured it to the saddle.
With their mission complete, the two set course for Arendelle. He finally had answers, but they were grim. And he would make certain the hunters paid for every ounce of pain and misery they had caused.
