Icebound

❄ nineteeen

Elsa.

"Behold, Rorke the Great!"

Rorke enters the castle with his army on his tail, accepting the cheers of the people with pride.

Astrid and the others stay outside to feed the dragons after such a long night of battle. "Need help?" Tuffnut asks Astrid as she was lending raw fishes to Stormfly.

Before she could accept, her eyes averted to the sky, seeing Toothless land smoothly across the docks. Elsa jumps off with Hiccup's help. Frustrated, Astrid throws the fish she's holding back to its bucket and tramps toward the two.

"Your Majesty." Astrid bows, sending a glare to Hiccup.

"Astrid, have you seen Rorke?" Hiccup glares back.

"He's having a celebration party at the castle."

"Really?" Elsa asks in monotone and begins to march out of the docks to her castle. Hiccup chases her, but then Astrid blocks his path.

"Okay, let's talk." She says.

"About what?"

"About us."

"What about us?"

"Everytime I see Elsa, she's always with you. Are you her official bodyguard now or something?"

"We were on red alert, Astrid."

"Why not leave her alone and let her real bodyguards do the job then?"

Hiccup hesitates to respond.

Astrid bobs her head, knowingly. "You love her." It comes out like a confession to a crime.

Hiccup frowns, in an apologetic way.

Astrid bits her lip and instantly throws a slap across his face. It was so hard that it made a sound and left a sore spot on a quarter of his face.

Before leaving him, she grabs him by the collar and growls, "we're done!"

As much as Hiccup wants to chase her, he didn't. He stays at where he stood, and Toothless remains beside him as well.

He watches the woman he once relied on for everything leave, though left his heart still intact. He feels a little hurt, and regret, but it wasn't enough to fracture one piece apart. "I deserved that slap, didn't I, bud?" He forced a wide smile and a fake laugh at his dragon.

Toothless rolls his eyes and walks away from his best friend.

~ ¤ ~

Elsa.

Elsa barged and pushed the doors with every strength she could muster, letting everyone, especially Rourke, know her arrival. A couple gasps sounded from groups, and their stares are supposed to weaken her except she feels hard as ice.

No one was daring to set in her path, not with every step she take leaves the ballroom floor dotted with thick spikes of ice. Hiccup manages to appear as Elsa continues to walk down the path the people had made for her.

The festive music stops in a halt, and everything became silent. The only sound that could be heard are the ice spreading as she continues to walk in a medium tramping pace.

Rourke's men step aside from Elsa's path, as she stops a few feet from the General. She clasps both of her hands, calming them to stop shaking in rage. "Your Majesty." Rourke manages to bow, but when he reached to kiss the Queen's hand, Elsa pulls it away.

Everyone was beyond shocked at what they had witnessed.

"What are you doing, Rourke?" She bellows. It was a question she already knew the answer to.

"Why, I am throwing us a victory party, Your Majesty!" Rourke states with a counterfeit smile, waving his hands around as he does so.

Elsa's poker face doesn't wear off. Hiccup stays a couple of feet away from the two powerful leaders, beside soldiers that are still in their armor.

"You are throwing a damn party, without my permission!?" Elsa snapped.

"My Queen, I-"

Unbeknownst to what was coming next, everyone steps aback when Elsa shot a big sword-like icicle. It lands a meter away from the General.

"We need no reason to fight over this." Rourke warns, containing his fear as he stops his men when they were about to charge.

"A celebration isn't acceptable when we're at a state of war, General!" Elsa had screeched. Hiccup had never seen her get so angered before, same to everyone else in the hall. Elsa takes out a brief breath to calm herself. It comes out like a whisper when she adds, "if you please, discharge yourself from your position and leave before dawn. I don't want to see anymore of your face."

"You can't do this." Rourke protests.

"After tranquilizing me to sleep just to continue your battle? I think I can." Hiccup's brows twitched in confusion, and realization hits him like a sled. Elsa was against attacking the upcoming fleet after all. Meaning Rourke was the one who wanted war all along.

Feeling ashamed of being part of the battle, Hiccup frowns when one of the ship's flag comes to mind. "Because of you, Rourke, you've started a war no one will ever win. Now get out."

~ ¤ ~

After settling the party to end early, every soldier that was in the castle were also discharged and never to serve again. Well, except for some who aren't loyal to Rourke. Rourke, on the other hand, left Arendelle with his commodores on a brig since most of the ships in his fleet were owned by the kingdom.

Elsa was staring out into her study's window, waiting for the evacuated and her sister Anna to arrive on the gates. It was frigidly cold since December would arrive in two months. Arendelle is a Nordic kingdom, nonetheless.

"With all your army gone," Hiccup started as he leans on the open doorway. Elsa slightly jumps at his unannounced visit. "What're you gonna do if they invade and fight back?"

Slowly, Elsa turns around to face him. Her stressed out expression softens when he lets out a small smile. She sighed. "Well, we'll negotiate."

"Then what if they won't?"

Elsa doesn't respond. Her eyes squint slowly as she imagines her kingdom burning in agony. Tears brim her eyes as she realizes it. "Oh, Hiccup." She falls on her knees and Hiccup shuffles over to kneel in front of her. "What have I done?"

~