Family, Friends and Fiends

Flyover

Arendelle in summer. The weather is perfect as warmth and joy hang in the air like a sweet aroma.

"Elsa! C'mon, everyone's waiting for you!" Anna's laughing voice hollers through my engraved door.

"C-coming!" I stutter, trying to contain my excitement.

Before walking out the door, I take a moment to look at my parents' portrait on the wall. If only they were here to see this. They'd be proud...I think.

Once I reach the courtyard, I smooth down my dress and squeeze Anna's hand. I'm steadily starting to get used to being around a lot of people at once, but it's still a little frightening. However, with Anna standing here with me, I feel invincible. When I yell to the guards, "Open up the gates!," my voice rings with certainty and excitement.

People flood into the courtyard like waters from a breaking dam. My eyes stretch wide in surprise and the ground below me starts to frost.

"It's okay, Elsa. You don't have to be afraid. You can control your powers now, remember?" Anna whispers in my ear, calming me.

"Right." I breathe, barely audible. "Thanks Anna."

Half an hour later, the last few people come through the gates, and the guards close them dutifully.

"Are you ready?" I call out from the center.

Cheers rise all around me.

I stomp one foot down on the cobblestone and watch as ice covers the castle in intricate designs and shiny, cold beauty. I wave each hand in turn toward the fountains. The water freezes into decorative, icy pillars, with little pieces sticking out every which way.

People around me start skating and I chuckle as I watch, warmth spreading quickly through me. For the first time in forever, I'm making people happy with my powers.

The sun set slowly over the bay that night, which I was grateful for. Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf and I had glided around all day and were still having a blast. It didn't take Anna long to get skating down. Now she and Kristoff each held onto Sven's back, going in circles around Olaf and I while we laugh. Suddenly, a black creature streaks across the sky overhead. A precious few in the crowd cry out. Anna glides to a stop next to me and we exchange giddy glances.

"Humph! Dragons...why can't those nosy Vikings keep to their own territory." A middle-aged woman complains close by.

Anna rolls her eyes. "They're fascinating, aren't they?" She says, breathless from skating and the sight of the majestic beast.

"Incredibly. And I'm glad we're at peace with Berk and therefore get to see them sometimes."

Anna says something else, but I barely hear. My attention is focused on the same kind of dragon flying over. I wonder for a second if it's the same one doing a second fly over. But when the dragon twirls, the sun catches his scales, making them look like blue fire. Anna trails off, probably captivated along with me or noticing that I'm not listening.

We watch silently as the two dragons meet up in the distance and fly out towards Berk.

"Oh I wish there were dragons in the fjords. Wouldn't it be amazing to ride one?" I wonder aloud.

"Why don't you get a horse and stop wishing for a dragon, Elsa." Anna laughs and punches my shoulder playfully.

I shake off the longing like I have a hundred times before and turn back to the festivities. No good in wishing for the impossible. Might as well enjoy what's in front of you. Especially when it's so perfect.

Everyone stays late into the night, when the moon is almost at its peak.

Eventually I retire to my room and sit on the window seat, staring at the lights dancing across the sky and imagining soaring through them until I drift into sleep—a deeper sleep than I've had in ages.

**********

The sun glints brightly off the waters surrounding Arendelle. "Think he's here?" I shout to my riding partner. I chuckle. Not everyone is lucky enough to ride with Hallier, the best friend you could ask for. Except his girlfriend, Astrid's cousin Valkyrie. In which case you ride with him every two hours.

"He has to be. We saw some of hush ships back at the last village. Where else would he be headed? Arendelle is the last settlement before you get to the mainland. And I know he would never head there."

Toothless grunts beneath me. This dragon has saved my life many times. And what have I to return the favor? I must keep him from Draco. That crazy bastard would destroy him. "Maybe we should warn the queen. I hear she can stop a whole fleet of ships with her powers."

Hallier pulls right next to me on Aethon. "Or we could stop in to see if there's truth to the rumors of her sisters great beauty."

That would be his only shortcoming. He's not exactly the most loyal/pure minded Viking I've met when it comes to women. About to speak against his crude comment, I get cut off when I notice his smirk, and Aethon roars to Toothless. "Always believe everything you hear?" Good, that shut him up and wiped that creepy grin off his face. I have to laugh, as we fly close together, I throw a friendly punch to his gut.

Suddenly, we dive. Adrenaline begins to course through every vein in my body. Toothless is loving this, twisting as we continue out descent. He jerks up suddenly, now level with the walls of the courtyard. He swoops in and lands gracefully in a clear spot. "Don't burn anything. It would all melt." Toothless's green eyes burst with life as he sits like a dog waiting for its master, ears up in attention. I smile as I turn away with my helmet under my arm. The nearest guards approach me cautiously. Of course, they are not used to Riders coming right into their courtyard. "Take me to queen Elsa." The guards give each other a look and begin their escort.

**********