Icebound

❄ nine

Hiccup.

He woke up from a nightmare, in which he was being swallowed into a powerful snow blizzard, made by a platinum blonde headed child. It wasn't Elsa since the child was a boy. Hiccup doesn't even recognize, or know why he'd dreamt about the child. But he swore deep down in his heart, he does.

Hiccup digs his face in his palms, still trying to process it all. Jack is back? But how? I saw him fell on the lake with my own eyes, with my own fault.

"What the heck, Hiccup?!" Hiccup was so fogged with his mind that he didn't realized he had pushed Astrid off of the bed.

"I'm sorry." He breathes out and helps her get back to her feet.

"You had a bad dream or something?" Astrid asks, still annoyed, over all worried.

"Yeah, I did." He nonchalantly replies before dressing up for the day. "I'm really really sorry, Astrid."

"Rise and shine, love birds!" Ruffnut and Snotlout both explode through the door.

Hiccup hurries on tucking a tunic on. "Can't you two knock? You almost torn the door down." Astrid huffs.

"They're rich of royalty. They can build another door." Says Snotlout as he lunges on the queen-sized guest bedroom.

"Astrid's right. Keep it light you two, remember that we're in a palace." Hiccup chimes in, gearing up his armor in front of the dresser mirror.

"Ooh, what is this?" Hiccup turns to Ruffnut, who's holding a shimmering gemstone she had found from rummaging through the night tables. The four of them huddled up to examine the strange gem.

"It's a sapphire." Hiccup says.

"Is it Elsa's?" Astrid says, emphasizing the queen's name to make Hiccup glare.

"Who's Elsa?" Asks Snotlout.

"The Queen, darn it." Retorted Ruffnut, also elbowing him at his bicep.

As the sapphire fuels their curiosity, a servant suddenly arrives at the door. "Ahem?"

Caught red-handed, the four splits and the sapphire is handed to Hiccup.

"The General wants your presence, urgently." The servant says. He didn't seem to have caught the sight of the gem Hiccup was hiding in his pants pocket.

"The General?"

"Yes, the second-in-command of the Queen. He carries the highest rank in the military. He has arrived from battle."

~ ¤ ~

Where's Elsa? was Hiccup's first thought when they set foot in the castle square. Almost a dozen of hut-like structures were being enplaced, especially artilleries of guns. Soldiers dominated the populace in the square, scaring some of their dragons.

"Dragon riders." A man in his mid-fifties approached the group. He's geared up in full stainless steel armor. Arendelle's flag is hanging behind him as a cape. Two other non-commissioned officers guarded his tail. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, men. My name is General Rorke, I am the headman of Arendelle's military."

Hiccup feels a bad vibe towards the elder. Perhaps it's his long white beard, making it wary to trust him to manage a whole army. "Chief of Berk, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock."

Rorke laughs disrespectively, checking Hiccup's prosthetic foot out as well. "Hiccup, huh? You must really be a disgrace to your parents."

"Screw you!" Astrid seethed.

"It's the way of the military, hun. Either be against me or join me. Pick one."

"That doesn't make any sense." Snotlout defended as well.

"Probably 'cause you're wearing too much helmets, boy." He laughs again, louder this time.

Hiccup cuts off his laughter. "Where's the Queen? She should be here."

"Probably preparing her make up."

Either he's a bully or an enemy, Hiccup scowls.

"Updates from the Queen." A brawny Royal Guard chimes in. "Princess Anna is left in charge for his sister has gone off to an important meeting with someone."

"Ooh, a rendezvous with a past lover?" Rorke mocks.

One more word that comes out of his mouth and Hiccup will literally knock him out.

"But as the headman of the military, you will be in charge with the dragon riders for now." The servant had said.

"Like a baby sitter." Snotlout taunted, making Rorke smile unhappily. "Cool."

"Very well, let's skip the fighting part and get a start on this war." Says Rorke.

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