Frosted Scales - When Worlds Collide: A HTTYD X Frozen Tale

The Assault on Arendelle Castle

Three weeks passed in a blur for Hiccup. He and Elsa followed her plan with surprising ease, encountering little resistance from those holding the capital—led, it seemed, by a man named Hans. The name was unfamiliar to Hiccup, though he quickly learned that Hans was supposedly "filling in" for Princess Anna while the Queen was out "running amok." It was a thin veneer of legitimacy, but it held enough sway to keep the capital in his grip.

Gerald, the burly man who had first agreed to help Elsa, proved his worth immediately. On the very first day, he asked if "his beast"—as he called Toothless—could drop him off in the next village while Elsa led the other villagers back up the mountain. Within hours, messengers were dispatched on horseback, equipped with the best of the remaining feed, and sent to as many villages as possible. A few days later, Hiccup took to the skies to scout the area and was heartened to see streams of villagers making their way to the Northern Mountain Sanctuary.

Hiccup spent most of his days flying the perimeter, watching over the travelers as best he could. He rested Toothless when necessary and hunted for food when needed, but he barely took any time for himself. The only person who seemed to be resting less than him was Elsa. She was constantly in motion, checking on this, attending to that, her energy seemingly endless. Watching her work made Hiccup’s head spin, and he could not help but wonder if becoming Chief of Berk would be as overwhelming as the pressure Elsa was under. The thought crossed his mind more than once—was this really what he wanted?

The second wave of villagers arrived within a few days, and more followed as time passed. The sanctuary began to come alive. People traded goods and services, and a hum of activity filled the streets during the day. Villages that had once been isolated from one another now mingled freely, creating a sense of community that was new to Arendelle.

Hiccup decided to take a stroll through the ice city before his meeting with Elsa and her advisors. They were finally going to discuss a raid on the capital, and the thought weighed heavily on his mind. Troops were gathering in small camps around Arendelle Castle, and Hiccup could not shake the feeling that Hans was planning something. The splendor of the ice city offered a brief respite from his worries. The castle courtyard, with its towering walls of shimmering ice, took some time to cross. Men and women, many of whom had never held a blade before, stood in rows, listening to the barked commands of a training officer. Beyond the inner walls, commoners bustled from place to place, tending to whatever tasks needed doing.

Hiccup’s gaze fell on the last of the summer goods, pitiful and disheveled in their small stall. He purchased some meat at a hunter's stand, trading two flasks of mead he had bartered for with some furs. Then he made his way back to the castle.

He expected Toothless to meet him in the courtyard, eager for his share of the meat, but after waiting for what felt like an hour, Hiccup stomped his way to the top of the tower where his quarters were. There, in the middle of the main room, the lazy dragon lay passed out on the rug.

"Time to get up, you slumbering sissy of a dragon," Hiccup grumbled as he tackled Toothless. The dragon growled playfully as he awoke, and the two tussled for a moment before Hiccup ended up scratching Toothless’ belly, leaving the dragon in a stupor of contentment.

Toothless rolled upright, shaking out his wings as Hiccup retrieved the dropped meat. While the dragon gorged himself, the door to the room opened with a soft creak, followed by two light knocks.

"Hiccup? Are you in?" Elsa’s voice called from the doorway. "No, no. Really, it’s fine. You can wait here," she added, her tone tinged with agitation as the door closed a little too loudly.

Hiccup’s heartbeat quickened ever so slightly. What was she doing here?

Elsa stepped into the room, as beautiful as ever. She wore soft leather trimmed in white fur; the outfit elegant despite its practicality. Her cloak, dyed a deep blue, made her eyes pop, and her expression was one of determination. Hiccup’s heart skipped a beat as she smiled at him, the tension in the air unfamiliar yet charged with something he could not quite name.