Omphalos (Hiccelsa)

Chapter 15

"It's science." Elsa said with a touch of longing, "I could have you wear something so that you can be married and have a sex life without the fear of another child you don't want."

"Sounds crazy." Hiccup shook his head. Elsa rubbed her nose.

"Not even like a sheep's bladder? Come on, people must have tried to do this!" Elsa said, drawing back to the oldest methods of birth control she knew. Hiccup just stared at her like he had no idea what she was saying. She continued.

"Since we don't have such amenities here…" She gave a long sigh, "We'll see…"

Great, he wasn't even married and already his fiancée was holding out on sex.

"At least four." Hiccup said, to which Elsa jumped.

"Four?" She scoffed, "I'd go mad."

"I think my mom always wanted more…she's so…mothering. It's not unusual. I'm unusual. Astrid was unusual. Only children…I feel sorry for the parents of that. Either it means they don't have a sexual marriage, or something is wrong. Both is…unfortunate."

"Mhh…" Elsa did not sound convinced, "Maybe…three. One is…lonely. Two is worse." She said, recalling the darker days with her sister, "Three…three sounds adequate."

"Three children." Hiccup echoed, a tingle growing, "Including or not including Ophelia?"

"Why should that matter?" She asked.

"Not including then." Hiccup amended. He stood, "Come, we have something to discuss."

"What?" Elsa wiped the dirt from her skirt. Inside, Hiccup took out one of his journals.

"Usually, we have an engagement parties with the other leaders of the tribes. It's political; sizing up my new wife and all. At least, that's what we tell people. The one's I've been to have been full of booze and dirty jokes. The reasoning is really just a pretense, and the date's been set four days from now. In that time, you do need to learn the names and Tribes that will be attending. I do have all the information down in this book."

Elsa begun to flip through causally. "Simple enough." She grunted.

"Elsa, that's at least ten different tribes to learn." He said. Elsa gave him a sly laugh, and looked at him.

"Hiccup, you forget that I've been a queen. I believe I've memorized hundreds of titles and formalities of nations in my time." She said. Hiccup winced.

"Yes, I forget that." He agreed. He was about to leave when Elsa gave a little sound.

"Aren't you staying?" She asked. Hiccup, upset with the conversation and thought of her leaving with Ophelia, had not been planning on it.

"It's all there…the information." He shrugged, "I took the effort to write it down and all."

"Yes, but if you were the one to write it, surely only you would be more useful than a book." Hiccup hesitated, "Please, to explain things to me?" She asked. Hiccup hesitated.

"I suppose." He agreed, and sat on the bench. He expected Elsa to sit across from him, but she sat close on his own bench, so that their legs touched. She opened to the first page.

"These are my own friends; it's customary to invite your own tribal friends to the banquet. A nice gesture, at least." He said.

"I don't know if I've meet many of your friends." Elsa admitted.

"Well, besides Camacazi…not many." Truthfully, things just sorta feel apart between him and his friends after Elsa disappeared. They'd always been closer with her than himself, and he wasn't the sort of boisterous personality that Astrid was to encourage conversation.