Hiccup's eyes widened when he saw the scene unfolding before him.
Kristoff took notice and nudged Anna who slowly turned towards her sister, wiping the tears from her eyes.
Her expression changed from sad to confused to excitement. Her and Kristoff knew what was happening, but Hiccup was clueless.
"Oh my gosh." Anna muttered. Kristoff placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to hold her back from her sister and the Viking.
Hiccup stared at Elsa, his eyes still wide.
The frost that covered Elsa's small body was slowly starting to melt. The three, and now Toothless who was sniffing Elsa's hand, stared in awe.
Once the frost was gone, Anna leaned into Elsa and checked for a pulse.
A smile from across her lips and she looked up at Hiccup who still had Elsa placed gently in his lap.
"She's alive!" Anna said.
She turned to the crowd behind them.
"Long live the Queen!" She yelled.
"Long live the Queen!" The townsfolk shouted. They began cheering and jumping around, showing their excitement.
"But h-how?" Hiccup asked. "I-I don't understand."
Anna looked at Kristoff, who nodded his head towards Hiccup who wore a confused expression.
"Love will thaw." She said with a smile.
Hiccup looked at Elsa, then back at Anna.
"Love will thaw." He repeated.
He remembered when Elsa had told him that. That was how she managed to control her powers before Grimmel took over. Now that he was gone, Elsa would have her happy emotions back, she would be her again.
Thank the gods for love.
He let out a sigh of relief and hugged Elsa's now alive, but unconscious body.
"Thank the gods." He whispered, wiping the last tear from his cheek.
"We should take her inside." Anna said. "I remember where her room was, we can let her rest there until she wakes up."
Hiccup and Kristoff agreed.
Hiccup slowly stood up and carried Elsa in his arms, following Anna towards her room, Kristoff stayed behind to talk to the townsfolk.
Anna stopped in front of a door and reached for the knob, but stopped before turning it.
She turned towards Hiccup with an uneasy look across her face.
"Before we go in, I need to warn you." She said grimly.
"Warn me?" Hiccup asked. "About what?"
"Do you remember how I said Elsa was a little troubled because of her past?" She asked.
Hiccup nodded in response.
"Well, there are some things in here that might cause concern." She continued. "She liked to write poems about how she felt. She also liked to draw and create ice sculptures of her dreams and nightmares. You're a Viking, so you've probably seen the worst, but it terrifies me to look at them."
Hiccup gave her a confused look.
"I just thought I should warn you." She added. "Just in case you get worried."
Anna turned the knob and slowly opened the door.
Even though the rest of Arendelle was now it's old self, this room still looked like Grimmel was the king.
It was dark, the only light source being the covered window which barely let any light in.
Anna walked in first and lit the candles that were placed around the room. Hiccup stayed behind and scanned the room.
The walls were covered in papers with writings on them, assuming they were the poems Anna was talking about. Alongside them, there were drawings of beasts and a few family portraits. What an odd mix.
Anna was right about the sculptures. They looked terrifying.
There was one medium sized one placed on a table in the corner of the room. It looked like some sort of dragon, but it wasn't a dragon Hiccup had seen before. This one looked like it was possessed, like a demon dragon. It's claws were really long and sharp, it's teeth looked like daggers and even though the ice sculpture was blue, the eyes were glowing red.
"That one scared me the most." Anna said, standing next to Hiccup who was still looking at the sculpture.
"She would see that thing in her nightmares once a month." She continued. "She always had nightmares, and I always thought it was because of her magic, but she always tried to convince me that it was something else."
"Something else?" Hiccup asked. "Like what?"
"She would say that she felt like she had a darkness within her, something she couldn't figure out what it was." She answered. "I didn't believe her until a few years ago when I was in the dungeon and had a lot of time to think. She loved her magic, but she thought something bad was attached to her because of it. I felt sorry for her. She didn't ask for any of this, but just because of the way she was born and what she was born with, she was constantly filled with fear and torment. I wanted to help her, but she wouldn't let me, so I took the backseat and supported her instead."
Hiccup looked at the peaceful Elsa who was still in his arms.
He had no idea about any of that. She never told him. He knew she felt scared all of the time, but he assumed it was just Grimmel, not anything else.
"You can place her on her bed." Anna said, changing the subject. "I'll go get a blanket from the maids room."
With that, Anna walked out of the door, leaving Hiccup behind who gently placed Elsa on the bed.
He brushed the hair out of her face and stared at her.
"I can't wait for you to wake up." He whispered.
Anna walked back in, holding three blankets.
"I brought three." She said, handing one of them to the Viking.
"I figured you weren't going to leave her side, because I'm not." She said. She placed one in Elsa, making sure it covered her entire body.
Hiccup nodded and took the other blanket.
"I don't think I'm going to leave this room until she wakes up." He said. "I don't want her to wake up alone."
"Neither do I." Anna said. "We can sit here."
The two sat on the couch by the window and placed the blanket over themselves.
"Why don't you take whatever that is off?" Anna asked. "We'll be here for a while, so you might as well be comfortable.
Hiccup looked down at his body. He was still wearing his armor. He hadn't taken it off since he left Arendelle the day everything started.
"You mean my armor?" He asked, looking back at Anna.
"Yeah that." She said. "You won't be needing it for a while either. The ugly man is gone, we're safe."
Hiccup wanted to believe her words, but the ice sculpture that was looming behind Anna was telling other otherwise.
Grimmel might be gone, but the darkness Elsa felt was still present. Hiccup could feel it.
He thought Grimmel could control Elsa because of her magic because that's what she had told him, but now he wasn't sure.
"You're right." He said, keeping his thoughts to himself. He didn't want to worry Anna.
He took off his armor and set it to the side.
"What happened to your shirt?" Anna asked, pointing at it.
Hiccup looked down. His shirt was still torn from making the wrap for Elsa's arm.
"Oh, Grimmel had cut Elsa's arm before we ran away." He said, moving the blanket over the tear. "I used a piece of my shirt to wrap it. Luckily, it's not infected anymore and we took it off. There will be a scar, but it should be okay."
"You mean to tell me you've been wearing that shirt since that day?" She asked. "That's gross Hiccup."
"Well, I gave Elsa my other shirt to sleep in and we left it behind on one of the islands on accident." He replied. "This is all I have."
"Have you forgotten where you are?" Anna asked, gesturing to their location. "We're in a castle. We have clothes."
"I'll be okay." Hiccup said. "I'm alright with what I have."
Anna looked at him. She could feel his energy shift, but she wanted him to get a change of clothes before she asked about it.
"I'll go get you some." She said, taking the blanket off and standing up.
"I'm fine, really." Hiccup said. "You don't have to."
"But I want to." Anna said. "Just let me."
Anna was stubborn, much like Elsa, but she was a little more stubborn in a way. He was going to say no again, but he already knew she was going to get him some anyway.
He nodded and Anna left.
Anna closed the door behind her and let out a sigh. Then, she caught a glimpse of Kristoff walking her direction.
"Kristoff!" She yelled.
"Anna I'm right here." He said, walking a few steps to be in front of her. "There's no need to yell."
"Hiccup need clothes." She said. "He only has what he came in with. Could he borrow some of yours?"
"I don't mind." Kristoff said. "They might be a bit big, he's kind of frail looking for a Viking."
"Hey don't judge him." Anna said, walking towards their room. "He could've been starved or something, I don't know."
Kristoff shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough." He followed Anna.
"I do have to say I'm a little worried about him though." She began. "He watched Elsa die in his arms, and I think he's worried about Elsa. More specifically what resides in her room."
"I wouldn't blame him." Kristoff said. "Those poems, pictures and ice sculptures are pretty terrifying."
"Yeah, but he's acting different than he was an hour ago." She said. "I'm worried about him. We don't know his story."
"Maybe Elsa knows." Kristoff said. "Maybe on their vacation they got to talking and he told her."
"It was hardly a vacation." Anna said, opening the door to their room. "They we're running away from that stupid Grimmel guy. I can only imagine how scared they were."
"He's a Viking." Kristoff said, opening the drawer with his clothes in it. "They're not scared of anything."
"I could see it in his eyes, Kristoff." Anna said. "Not only that, but I could feel it. It was like it was radiating from his body and planting itself in my brain."
"I'm sure he's okay." Kristoff said, closing the drawer. He got out a small dark green shirt and the smallest pair of pants he owned. "Maybe he just needs a little-"
"Why won't you listen to me?" Anna said, her voice a little louder.
"Pardon?" Kristoff asked, turning towards her.
"I'm trying to tell you that I'm worried about our new friend." She said. "And you're standing there telling me it's nothing. You're not listening to me."
"Anna, honey, I promise I am." Kristoff said. "I'm just trying to not make a big deal out of it."
"I almost lost my sister again." Anna stated. "I watched her run away because she was scared, I watched her get taken by Grimmel, watched her listen to his every command because she was terrified he'd kill us and then her."
She started tearing up.
"I watched her die." She said. "And I couldn't do anything but sit there and watch. I couldn't help her, couldn't save her. I felt useless. So I would say it is a big deal."
Kristoff didn't say anything, he just walked over to his crying wife and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Anna." He said softly. "I should've been more considerate of your feelings."
"I forgive you." Anna said. "But we have to help them. We have to help him."
"And we will." Kristoff replied. "We'll find a way."
A few minutes passed and they grabbed the clothes then made their way back to Elsa's room.
Hiccup was reading some of the poems that were stuck on Elsa's walls.
Most of them were sweet, but there were a few that warranted worry for the Viking.
One that stuck with him was:
"Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace."
Anna was right. Elsa was troubled. She still is.
Hiccup wanted her to wake up more than anything. He wanted to make sure she was okay. He wasn't sure that the real Elsa would be back, however. Grimmel took a lot from her and he could only imagine how long it was going to take for her to get it all back.
If she got it all back.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Hiccup, I'm back with your clothes." Anna said, opening the door and closing it behind her.
Kristoff went back out the the town to discuss what happens next.
"Thanks." Hiccup said taking the clothes from her hands.
"Kristoff found the smallest articles he had, I hope they fit." She said, sitting back down in the couch and covering herself with the blanket from earlier.
"Well, that's what happens when you're born early." Hiccup said.
"Thank god I didn't have to ask." Anna said. She widened her eyes and covered her mouth.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry." She said. "That was rude of me."
"It's alright." Hiccup said. "I'm used to it. Most Vikings are big and scary, and I'm not. It's a good question to ask actually."
"Okay." Anna said, calming down. "I'm still sorry."
Hiccup gave a slight smile.
He picked up the pants, then turned to Anna.
"Some privacy?" He asked.
"Oh yeah." Anna said turning away. "Of course."
Hiccup changed his clothes. Surprisingly, they fit him perfectly.
He sat back down on the couch next to Anna and looked at Elsa.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" Anna asked.
Hiccup shrugged. "There's no way of knowing until she wakes up."
"Right." Anna said.
They sat in silence for a minute.
"Do you think you'll be okay?" She asked quietly.
Hiccup turned his head towards her and gave her a confused expression.
"Me?" He asked, pointing to himself.
Anna nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be okay." He answered. "I just want her to wake up."
"We all do." Anna said. "But I'm more concerned about you."
"Really, Anna." Hiccup said, putting his hands up in defense. "I'm okay."
"Look, I don't know much about you, let alone what has happened to you in the past," She began. "But I can tell something is bothering you. I can tell you're scared. We all are. You don't have to deny it."
Hiccup sighed, looked at Elsa, then back at Anna.
"I am scared." He said quietly. "She didn't tell me about this dark side of her, only what had happened in the past. She never mentioned any nightmares or poems, not even the drawings. Don't you think she would've told me about all of this?" He gestures to the room.
"Elsa's a private person." Anna replied. "I'm sure you already know that. She's also a bad liar, but that's a different story. She never told any of us about this. She never let us in her room. The only reason we found out was because I went in here to look for something. We had a long talk when she caught me and that's the only reason why she didn't tell us."
Hiccup looked at the ground.
"What I mean is that you shouldn't feel bad about her not telling you. She didn't tell her own sister." Anna said. "Even if you tried to force it out of her, she wouldn't tell you. That's just how Elsa works."
"But it would've helped a little." Hiccup replied. "I could've helped her so much more."
"Only if she let you." Anna added.
"Anna, she deliberately killed Grimmel, knowing that she would die." He stated, looking back at her. "Doesn't that tell you anything?"
"It tells me that she wants to die." Anna stated. "And I don't like it as much as you do. She's my sister, and I love her unconditionally. I don't ever want to see her in pain, but it happens to the most beautiful, the most kind, and happiest of people. I tried everything I could to help her, but it's the kind of thing where she can only help herself and she wasn't."
"Why wasn't she?" Hiccup asked. "Why wouldn't she want to be alive and let the world see the beauty she has to offer?"
"I can't tell you the answer to that." Anna replied. "I don't know the answer."
Hiccup pursed his lips and looked back at Elsa.
Anna hoped she got her point across. If Elsa wanted to get better, she would. But she didn't, and that was the problem she had tried so hard to fix.
Elsa once told her that the only reason she wanted to stay alive was so that her family wouldn't have to live without her. She didn't want to put the duties of a Queen on Anna's shoulders. She didn't want Anna to be the last family member living.
Elsa didn't want any help and Anna had to accept that, but it never stopped her from trying.
"Do you think she'll be her again?" Hiccup asked. "Like the person she was before Grimmel?"
Anna shrugged.
"There's no way of knowing until she wakes up."
Three days went by. Hiccup hadn't left the room, not even to get a meal. Luckily, there was a bathroom in the room, so he didn't have to go far when he had to go.
Anna would come in and out to check on the pair, but nothing ever changed. Anna would bring meals to Hiccup and eat them in the room with him. Kristoff would join them sometimes, but the town was temporarily under his orders, so he was busy most of the time.
Elsa was still asleep. She had moved a few times, but her eyes hadn't opened yet. No one wanted to try and wake her up. They knew she needed her rest and even though they were all impatient, they knew she'd wake up one day. Hopefully soon.
A few more days passed and Hiccup was asleep on the couch.
He found it hard to get any sleep in, even though he was exhausted. He would sit there and wait for Elsa to wake up for hours, sometimes even through the night.
He was awoken by the sunlight hitting his face. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up, looking at the sunrise.
"Would you look at that." He whispered. "It's the first sunrise of winter."
He turned his head towards Elsa who was still sound asleep.
He let out a sigh and looked back at the window.
It was like he always used to do back in Berk. Watching the sunrise alone. He told Elsa they would watch every sunrise until the end of time, so he always made sure to watch them so he could tell her what they looked like when she awoke.
During his waiting, he read more of the poems.
Another one that caught his eye was:
"Who am I? Not the body, because it is decaying; not the mind, because the brain will decay with the body; not the personality, nor the emotions, for these, also will vanish with death."
The state Elsa was bound to be in after Grimmel was terrifying to him. He knew he would stay by her side, but her stubbornness and independence would get in the way. Even her own sister couldn't get passed her traits.
His thoughts were I trusted by an answer of his pelas.
"Stop!" A voice yelled.
Hiccup snapped his head towards the bed and saw Elsa sitting up, gasping for air.
He ran to her side.
"Elsa it's okay." He said calmly. "It was just a dream. I'm right here."
Elsa looked at him, her eyes were wide and filled with terror. Hiccup wouldn't never forget her expression.
"I'm right here." He repeated.
He pulled her into his arms and she began sobbing.
"He's coming." She said. "Grimmel is coming to get me."
"Grimmel is gone." Hiccup said, hoping to calm her. "He's gone for good, I promise."
"No, no, he's right there." She pointed to the corner of her room. "He's right..."
Her expression turned to confusion.
"He's not there." Hiccup said, taking her hand and placing it back down on the bed. "It was a dream. I promise he's not there."
Elsa continued to look at the corner.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, placing a hand on her forehead.
"I'm feeling alright." She responded. "Just a little tired." She yawned.
"I thought two weeks of solid rest would be enough." Hiccup chuckled.
"Two weeks?" Elsa repeated. "I was asleep for two weeks?"
"You beat my record by a week and a half." Hiccup said.
"Oh my gods." She said. "Why didn't anyone wake me?" She began to stand up but almost fell to the floor, Hiccup catching her before she did.
"Maybe get used to using your legs again before you try and stand up." Hiccup said, helping her sit back down in the bed. "And we didn't want to wake up because we all knew you needed sleep."
"Where's Anna?" Elsa asked.
"Probably with Kristoff." Hiccup replied. "Would you like me to go get her?"
"Elsa!" A voice said from the doorway. "Oh my gosh you're finally awake!"
"Nevermind." Hiccup said.
Anna rushed to Elsa's side.
"Are you okay?" She asked, placing her hand on Elsa's forehead.
"I'm fine." Elsa replied, seeming a little annoyed by the sudden touching of her forehead.
"Well I'm glad you're back." She said. "Once you're feeling 100%, we have a lot to talk about."
Elsa gave a slight smile.
"I'm so excited!" Anna squealed. "I have to go tell Kristoff so he can tell the townspeople!"
"We might want to hold off on that." Hiccup said, trying to make Anna slow down. "She just woke up, we should let her have some time to come back."
Elsa gave Hiccup a small smile, showing her appreciation for his statement.
"You're right." Anna said. "I'm still going to tell Kristoff." With that, she was running out of the bedroom, leaving Elsa and Hiccup behind.
"I know what you're going to say." Elsa muttered.
"I wasn't going to say anything." Hiccup said, reassuring her. "My questions will be answered when you're okay with telling me."
Elsa looked at him, then looked at her bedroom.
She hadn't been in here since Grimmel took over. He never let her have a long moment alone, so when she got one she spent it in the forest and not in her dark room.
Her poems scattered on the wall, her sculptures and drawings, they all brought her back to the darkness.
She felt uneasy having Hiccup in here. If she had been unconscious for almost three weeks, he was bound to have read all of them and glanced at everything else.
"There's a lot of darkness in here." She said softly. "I haven't been in here since Grimmel took over. I'm not sure I like it all that much."
"I opened the window to let some light in." Hiccup said, motioning to the window.
Elsa looked out and let out a gasp.
"The sunrise?" She said. "Arendelle hasn't had one in years."
"I did say we'd watch them every morning." Hiccup said.
"You did." Elsa said softly.
Hiccup helped her walk over to the couch so they could be closer to the window.
"It's the first sunrise of the winter season." He said, putting a blanket over Elsa. "The snow should appear any day now."
"Luckily for us, we don't have to wait for any snow." Elsa said, her eyes planted to the window. "The Queen can make that happen."
Hiccup chuckled. "That she can."
The two sat in silence for a minute, then Elsa spoke.
"This one feels different." She said.
"How so?" Hiccup asked.
"It's in Arendelle." She said. "It's like you said, it represents a new day, a new beginning. That's just what Arendelle needs."
She let her shoulders drop and her smile fade.
"I don't know if I can give them that." She said quietly.
"You being back and being Queen again is exactly the new beginning they need." Hiccup said.
"But I don't know what I am." Elsa replied. "I've changed, and I don't know if for better or for worse."
Hiccup took her hand.
"Grimmel took everything from me." She said. "He took my family, my kingdom, everything. They all must blame me, I blame myself for not trying harder. I should've tried harder."
"You couldn't do anything." Hiccup said. "That man had you wrapped around his finger, listening to his every command. He blackmailed you. You shouldn't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault."
"I understand that." Elsa replied. "But I don't believe it. I don't know why I don't, I just don't."
"Then we'll just have to figure it out." Hiccup said. "I'm not going anywhere, there's nowhere for me to go."
Elsa looked at him.
He was right. His entire livelihood was gone. He had no village to govern, no family to stay with, nothing. He was all he had.
Elsa never thought they would win the battle with Grimmel, so she never planned ahead. Hiccup would stay here until they figured things out. He had always said the word 'forever', but surly he didn't mean it in a literal sense, right?
"So, do you like Arendelle?" She asked, looking back to the window.
"It's different than Berk, much different." He answered. "But it's a beautiful place. I've only seen this hallway and this room as of now, though."
"You haven't left?" Elsa asked, turning towards him.
He shook his head.
"I wanted to be here for when you woke up." He said. "I've been on this couch since I put you on that bed."
That means he had all the time in the world to read what she planted on the walls. She was hoping he didn't read them, but she knew he was curious.
"I'm assuming you saw my poems and drawings." She said shamefully.
"I did." Hiccup replied, looking out the window. "I didn't you you felt that way."
Elsa was expecting him to run away. Being depressed in this time meant you were insane. People would look at you differently, they would even lock you up and tie you to a bed because of it.
She wasn't expecting him to say that to her. She thought he would've sent her away like her parents threatened to, but he didn't.
She didn't reply.
"But I'd be lying if I said I didn't understand." He said.
Elsa looked up at him. He was now looking at her instead of the window.
"What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head.
"What I mean is that I've been there." He replied. "I was an outcast my entire life until I was fifteen years old. I was isolated, and with isolation comes the darkness."
He gently touched Elsa's knee.
"Believe me, I'm not like everyone else." He said. "I don't think you're crazy or insane, I think you a normal human who just needs a little help to get through it, that's all."
"So you don't want to send me away?" Elsa asked, suprised.
"What good would it do?" He replied, leaning his head into his hand that tested against the couch. "It would only make it worse. You're already suffering and I don't want to watch you suffer more by being stuck in a room with actual insane people."
"But what if I'm actually insane?" She asked.
"Being depressed is not the same as insane." Hiccup said. "It's in the head, yes, but it has nothing to do with insanity."
Elsa gave a soft smile. She truly admired him for his understanding and delicate approach.
"When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time." Hiccup said.
Elsa's eyes widened.
"You remembered one?" She asked.
"I remember all of them." He said. "I've been in here for two weeks, I had a lot of time to kill."
"I'm embarrassed." Elsa said, looking away from him. "No one was supposed to see any of this. It was supposed to be the one thing in my life that was mine, like my secret."
"But we said no secrets, remember?" Hiccup stated. "And there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Your words were perfectly strung together to form your the feelings you couldn't say. They're all beautiful."
"We did say no secrets." She replied, looking back at him.
"You're in pain, Elsa." Hiccup said. "And I want to help you, but I can't help you if you continue to put yourself in dangerous situations that could potentially kill you."
"You're talking about Grimmel." Elsa said. "I know what I did was stupid. I should've thought it through and thought about how it would affect others, but I couldn't think of anything else to do."
"I get that." Hiccup said. "But you're right, you should've thought it through. You would've left behind Anna and Kristoff. You would've left me behind."
"I know, I know." Elsa said. "I'm sorry, I truly am."
"And we forgive you." Hiccup said. "But no more, okay?"
"No more." Elsa repeated. "I promise."
Hiccup smiled and turned to look out of the window again.
The air was getting a bit colder and more thin. He was sure the snow would start falling sometime soon. If not today, then definetly tomorrow. He wanted to see Arendelle in its winter wonderland form.
It was true. He hadn't seen any part of the real Arendelle since he walked into this room. He hadn't walked around the castle either. He was itching to go look, but he didn't want to leave Elsa.
"Can I ask you something?" Elsa asked, breaking the silence.
"Anything." Hiccup replied, looking at her again.
"The last thing I remember before going unconscious was falling to the ground." She said. "But I can't remember anything that happened after that. Do you remember?"
"Like it was yesterday." Hiccup replied.
"After you killed Grimmel, you passed away in my arms. You were covered in frost, but you weren't cold. Well, you weren't colder than normal I should say. The entire town was watching, but they didn't fully understand what was going on."
"They all saw me?" She gasped. "I'm embarrassed again."
Hiccup chuckled.
"Again, no need to be embarrassed." He said. "Everything happened so fast. A few moments passed by, and you began to thaw, then you came back to life and we brought you here."
"I thawed?" She asked. "How?"
"Well someone told me once that love will thaw." Hiccup said. "And it's been proven."
"Love?" Elsa asked. "I thought I passed in your arms."
"You did."
"But that would mean-"
"I love you."
Her eyes got wider after he said those words.
Did he mean it? Actually mean it? She had her suspicions before, but hearing him admit it to her face was different. Nobody had ever said that to her before except for her family. It felt weird hearing it from someone else's mouth.
"You love me?" She hesitated.
"I do." Hiccup replied. "I know it's only been a few weeks, but I'm sure of it."
He meant it.
Even though Elsa couldn't feel love when she was under Grimmel's control, she knew she felt something towards the dragon rider, she could never place what it was she felt, though.
Was it another version of love?
"I'm not sure how I feel." She said. "I have my emotions back, but I've never felt love or been loved before. I don't know what it feels like."
"All I'm hearing is another thing for you to learn." Hiccup replied. "I might not be the best feeling teacher, but I can do my best."
Elsa smiled.
"I don't mind learning." She said.
The two looked out of the window at the sun that had now found it's place in the sky.
"I see you're in Arendelle apparel." Elsa said.
"Oh yeah." Hiccup replied, looking down at his shirt. "This is Kristoff's. He said, and I quote, 'this is the smallest shirt I own.'"
Elsa laughed.
"That sounds like him." She said, still laughing a bit. "He's always been one for jokes."
"Yeah, only I don't think he was joking." Hiccup said with a laugh. "I told them I was born early to make up for my lack of Viking physique. It's true, however."
"I've never heard of anyone being born early." Elsa said. "At least not here."
"My parents thought I wasn't going to make it through the night, but low and behold, here I am almost thirty years later." He said. "I looked at it as having a second chance at life."
"A second chance at life." Elsa repeated. "I've had my fair share of those before."
"We all have." Hiccup replied.
Elsa smiled, then looked out the window again.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked.
"Can you walk?" Hiccup asked.
"I have you to help me." She answered with a smile. "Besides, we've both been in here for far too long. We both need to walk."
"Fair enough." Hiccup said.
He stood up then helped Elsa to her feet. Her legs were a little wobbly, but they'd be used to walking again in a few minutes, so they both continued.
They left the castle gates, being greeted with a hello and goodbye from the guards planted by them.
Many of the folk said hello to them or waved cheerfully. They were much happier and more alive now that the real Arendelle was back.
They walked for a few minutes, Hiccup's head continuously moving left and right to get his first good look at the town. Their arms were interlinked, Hiccup giving Elsa the support she needed before she could walk on her own again.
"So," Elsa began. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful." Hiccup breathed. "I've never seen this type of architecture before. It's nothing like the one at Berk."
Elsa looked at him.
She was so distracted by being awake that she forgot to ask him about his plans.
"About Berk," She began. "I know it's all gone, but what we're you planning on doing next? You're allowed to stay here as long as you want. We have extra rooms and all of that, but I'm assuming you wouldn't stay forever?"
Hiccup sighed.
"I don't know what I'm going to do." He said. "I'll need time to think about it, but I'll figure it out. I don't have a village to take care of anymore, so I'll have to think of something."
He turned to her, following her slow pace.
"Thank you for letting me stay." He said. "Anna and Kristoff have taken great care of me so far."
"Anything." Elsa replied. "I'm pretty sure Anna was her usual annoying self. She's a great caretaker though. She will never let you go hungry."
"I think I've eaten more here than I have in my entire life." Hiccup said, putting a hand on his stomach.
"She's like a mother." Elsa replied. "She'll always make sure you've eaten or gotten your time outside in the sun."
A townsperson walked up to them, stopping them in their tracks.
"So when's the wedding?" She asked.
"The what?" Elsa said. "What wedding?"
"Your wedding." The townsfolk answered. "We're dying to know!"
"There's no wedding." Hiccup replied. "We have no idea what you're talking about."
"Surely this man would be a great suitor!" Another said. "When's the last time the Queen was seen with a man?"
"Don't be rude Gertrude." A man said. "Give them some time, they're clearly in love."
Hiccup and Elsa shot each other a glance.
"We're going to head back to the castle." Hiccup said, turning away from the folks.
Elsa followed, still hanging onto his arm. She could walk now, but she liked the comfort she felt from it.
"Well that was awkward." Hiccup chuckled.
"Tell me about it." Elsa replied.
They walked back to the castle and Anna was waiting by the gates.
"Where were you?" She asked. "I've been looking everywhere!"
"We just went for a little walk." Elsa replied.
"Well let me know next time." Anna said. "I was worried sick."
"Yes mother." Elsa replied jokingly. Hiccup laughed at her sentence.
"I'll remember that." Anna said. "Breakfast is on the table. I better see you eat. I made your favorite."
"I told you she was like a mother." Elsa whispered to Hiccup, who let out another laugh.
"Now it's proven." He said. "Now where's the dinning room?"
"Inside to the left." Elsa said. "But I do have to warn you about something."
"Hm?" Hiccup hummed, giving her a confused look.
"She might be like a mother," Elsa began. "But her cooking is not."
"What she's made me so far was pretty good." He replied. "She didn't tell me what was in it, though."
"The maids made it." Elsa replied. "She lied to you."
"That woman." Hiccup said. "Well I'll have to send them my compliments next time I see them."
They walked into the dinning room.
It was a huge, long table with around 50 chairs. Only four chairs had plates in front of them.
"Why such a big table for a small family?" Hiccup asked, sitting down in the chair closest to Elsa's, which was the big one at the end of the table.
"This is where we would hold meetings or dinner parties." Elsa replied, sitting down in her chair. "I've asked them if they could let us have a smaller table, but they insisted on keeping it. I've never been a big meeting person, I'd rather talk to one person at a time."
"Oh good you're here!" A voice said from the doorway.
Hiccup and Elsa turned to see Anna and Kristoff walking into the dining room. Behind them, there was a reindeer.
Hiccup turned to Elsa as if to ask what the reindeer was about.
She shrugged.
"It's better not to ask." She said quietly.
"I hope you're not allergic to reindeer Hiccup." Anna said. "This is Sven. He eats with us all of the time."
She sat down in the chair across from Hiccup, Kristoff and Sven sat next to her.
"It's your lucky day." Hiccup replied. "I've actually never seen one of those before."
"You've never seen a reindeer?" Kristoff and Anna said in unison.
"Anna, be kind." Elsa said. "You hadn't seen a real one until you met Kristoff at that little shop in the woods, remember?"
"Well that's because I never went outside until then." She almost snapped.
Elsa's shoulders dropped and she poked her breakfast with her fork.
"Oh, I'm sorry that was harsh." Anna said. "I didn't mean it that way."
"I know." Elsa replied. She didn't say anything else.
Kristoff nudged Anna.
"What?" She said. "I said I didn't mean it and it was true! I didn't go outside so how could I have seen one?"
Hiccup looked at Elsa. She looked uncomfortable. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but he didn't want to make a bigger scene.
"Yes, but you shouldn't have said that." Kristoff replied. "You know it's a sensitive topic, especially to her."
"I'll meet you guys later." Elsa said, standing up and adjusting her dress. "I'll be in my room."
She turned and walked away.
Hiccup glanced at Anna and Kristoff who were watching Elsa walk away. He stood up and followed Elsa.
When they were out of the dining room, Hiccup caught up with her.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Elsa said, her arms wrapped around her torso. "I don't know why I reacted like that, it just hit me in the wrong way."
She walked into her bedroom and Hiccup followed, closing the door behind them.
"Anna didn't mean it in a bad way." Hiccup said. "She was telling the truth."
"I know, that's the thing. It's the truth." Elsa said. "I thought we were passed it already."
"She was stating a fact." Hiccup said. "Yes, it happened, yes it was a long time ago, but I assure you she didn't say it to hurt you."
"I know, I know." Elsa said. "But it still hurt. You know I would do anything to go back and change what happened, but I can't."
"Exactly, you can't." Hiccup said. "That means there's no use in letting it hurt you anymore as much as it does. It can hurt a little, but you can't let it consume you."
Elsa looked at him.
"You can't change the past, and you know that." He said. "So why don't you believe it?"
Elsa thought for a moment.
Anna's words did hurt. She hadn't fully healed from keeping Anna in isolation her entire childhood because of her mistake. She wanted to go back and stop them from ever playing that game in the ballroom.
Maybe everything would've have been different and she wouldn't be filled with so much regret.
"I don't know." She finally replied. "I've tried, but I just can't. It's the one thing I'll never stop regretting, keeping my sister locked away from everything. She didn't deserve it. It's all my fault."
"Stop blaming yourself for everything that went wrong in your life." Hiccup said, hoping it didn't come off wrong.
"You didn't know you were going to hurt her, nobody did. There was nothing you could do to stop it and there's nothing you can do to change the past." He continued. "The past is the past. I'm not saying to ignore it, but you shouldn't feel like it's your fault for something that was not in your control."
Elsa looked at her hands.
"I wish I didn't have this stupid magic." She said.
That was the first time she had said it outloud since she became Queen. She finally viewed it as a gift and not a curse, but Grimmel engraved it in her brain that it was once again a curse, and it would take a while for her to not believe that anymore.
"It ruins everything." She mumbled.
"But it also makes everything beautiful." Hiccup replied.
"I've almost killed people because of it." Elsa replied. "How is that beautiful?"
"But you never tried to kill anyone on purpose with it." Hiccup said. "Anyone could kill anyone with their bare hands and mere strength, does that mean their strength isn't beautiful?"
"No." Elsa said quietly.
"Do you see what I'm saying?" Hiccup said. "I mean, think of all the things you're able to do that no one else in the entire world can do. It makes you unique."
"I don't want to be unique." Elsa replied. "I want to be normal, to feel normal. All it took was for me being born to get this ability, I didn't do anything special." She sat down on the couch.
"Oh but out of all of the people that walk the earth, it was given to you." Hiccup said, sitting next to her.
Elsa knew he was right. She never thought of it that way. Even though she grew to love them for a while, she never once thought about what he said.
Why did the world choose her to give the magic to?
"I never thought of it like that." Elsa said.
"That's the first thing I thought of when I figured it out." He said. "I knew then and there that you were special. There is a reason for everything."
"But I don't know the reason." Elsa said. "I even went to look one day, but I came back empty handed and none of my questions answered."
Her Anna and Kristoff had went to the edge of a place called the enchanted forest one day that was covered in a thick layer of fog. They had gotten inside, but they ran into trouble with the tribe that inhabited the forest, resulting in Anna getting hurt. They turned around and went back to Arendelle, only to find Grimmel taking over the kingdom.
Elsa didn't tell anyone, but she thought Grimmel was the one that sent her the messages which led her away from the kingdom which made it easier for him to take over Arendelle. She didn't want to leave the kingdom again after that.
"When was this?" Hiccup asked. "You never told me about this part."
"I forgot about it until now." Elsa replied. "It's not even a long story."
"I'm listening either way." Hiccup said with a smile.
"Okay, don't look at me like I'm crazy, but one night I started hearing a voice. It wasn't saying words, it was more like vocalizations of a song, like someone was singing." She began. "No one else could hear it, so I brushed it off for a while, but one night I kept hearing it over and over again, so I began singing the same tune back and I woke up the spirits of the Enchanted Forest not too far from here."
"The spirits of the Enchanted Forest?" Hiccup repeated. "What Enchanted Forest?"
"It's a forest that inhabits spirits of the elements." Elsa replied. "Elements being fire, water, air, etcétera."
"No ice spirit?" Hiccup asked.
"That's what was confusing." Elsa said. "Anna and Kristoff convinced me that I was the ice spirit, but we didn't have enough time to figure it out."
"How come?" Hiccup asked, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.
"Well, I told them about it, the voice, and they told me we should go, so we went." She began. "When we arrived a couple days later, we came across a forest that was covered in a thick layer of fog. I reached forward and it opened, so we walked inside and it closed behind us. We weren't in there for long before we came across a tribe that resides within the fog. They attacked us before we could explain why we're were there. Anna got hurt, so we decided it would be best to run out of the forest and go back to Arendelle to nurse Anna back to health."
"So you never found out what the voice was?" Hiccup asked.
"We didn't." Elsa replied with a hint of sorrow. "When we got back to Arendelle, Grimmel was attacking. We've been occupied ever since."
Hiccup thought for a moment.
If there wasn't an ice spirit in the forest, it had to be her. Elsa was hearing a voice call to her from it, that had to have meant something, right?
"Have you heard the voice since then?" He asked.
"I haven't." Elsa said. "I wouldn't have been able to leave anyway. I just gave up and eventually forgot about it."
"Maybe that's what we should do." Hiccup said.
"What?" Elsa asked, giving him a weird look.
"Well, we were trying to figure out what to do now that Grimmel's gone." Hiccup said. "Maybe that's what we should do. We could go to that forest and see if it's still there."
"I'm not hearing the voice, though." Elsa replied. "I don't think it wants me there right now, or I'd be hearing it again."
"There's only one way of knowing that for sure." Hiccup said.
He placed his hand on Elsa's knee, then looked her in the eyes.
"I think we should go to the Enchanted Forest."
———————————————
The poems used in this chapter:
"Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace." – Oscar Wilde
"Who am I? Not the body, because it is decaying; not the mind, because the brain will decay with the body; not the personality, nor the emotions, for these, also will vanish with death."
– Ramana Maharshi
"When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time." – Laurie Halse Anderson
I should say where this fanfiction takes place within the movies.
It happens after Frozen, and after HTTYD 2. It takes place a little towards the beginning of Frozen 2, so imagine Anna getting hurt in the forest before Elsa becomes the fifth spirit. It might be a bit confusing, but I'm sure you will understand once the story progresses.
I'll admit, I didn't see this story going this way until I made it to this chapter. I didn't want it to be 5 chapters, so I had to come up with another idea. This this chapter and the following ones will be about Elsa and how she finds her way back to her authentic self after Grimmel's control.
We will calm it the aftermath.
Grimmel is no longer a part of this story at this point. He will be mentioned because he was a big reason for Elsa's darkness, but he won't be making anymore appearances.
With that, I would like to say thank you for reading. I've tried my best to make this fanfiction more like an actual book. My chapters are long and they take me a few days to write each.
If you're seeing this, you already have the entire story. I wanted to post all of the chapters at once because I'm the type of writer that will lose interest on a story and stop writing it, or I forget my password and can't access my email to change it so my account is lost forever.
That's what happened to my old account: Snowfall21. I'm pretty sure I have a few unfinished stories on there, and there's one in particular that I actually really wanted to finish, so now I can't.
It's a sad thing, but it's life. I've moved on and begun my journey elsewhere, aka this account.
I hope you're enjoying the story so far.
Thank you for reading!