Band of Misfits: Taking Flight Chapter 11

A.N. It's at the bottom. I'm not done yet.

…

"Why did you hurt her?"

"Why were you born this way?"

"This is all your fault."

Dreams haunted her. Their resounding messages chilled the princess to her very core. "Memories of her former life plagued her – of her mother, her father... of Anna and the accident. The accident was a frequent one.

She remembered the nights when her parents would 'discretely' discuss her 'gifts' and debate the possibility of renouncing her heirship. The Archbishop of Arendelle had wanted her immediate execution on the basis of witchcraft, but for reasons Elsa could not fathom, she had survived.

At times, though, the princess wondered if her death would have eased the pain. Hiccup was her one solace.

For the first time in forever, Elsa had a friend. He and Toothless, the brotherly duo, had shown her just a snippet of what the world had to offer. It was a small spark, a ray of light that she could cling onto. A hope that something better could be on the horizon. She was a bastion of cold and ice; there was little she could offer. But they stayed with her all the same.

In the face of her powers, of the curse she had been born with, they had not backed down. A break amidst the torrent of despair was more the welcome. When all had abandoned her, they had remained. They were her family now.

They were both misfits in their homelands. Elsa remembered the stories of brutal separation, of bullies and whispered words. Of beatings and abuse. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock was no stranger to isolation.

He was attractive to say the least. The humble modesty, the obvious intelligence, that irritating sarcasm. All of it was so familiar. He was an outcast, but Hiccup's honor was ten times the size of any other.

Hiccup had claimed that his Mother was an excellent story teller. The stories and tales of Berk had accompanied heart felt winter nights. Epics from faraway lands, of odysseys and adventures so

Love…

With a shudder, Elsa opened her eyes to an unfamiliar world in an unfamiliar state of mind.

…

These silken sheets were foreign. This wasn't the earthen ground, nor was it the wispy sky she had grown fond of. Something was very wrong.

Drawing back the bedsheets, Elsa's body began to ache with every little movement. Looking down, the princess took stock of her clothing. In the place of he usual traveling clothing, a tailored robe of fine cloth and linen, a gown fit for royalty. Looking around, Elsa's heart began to throb. She had played in these halls as a child.

Interlocking alcoves set in stone rose to a point; a turret with spiraling paints and stunning wooden highlights. This high scale room was not an inn. Her eyes darted around, desperate to gain some footing in this foreign situation. A balcony was nearby, providing a stunning view of the joyful harbor that was all the more alien for it's silence.

Delicately, almost reluctantly, Elsa placed a tender foot on the floor.

A slight creak alerted Elsa of an observer. An armed guard, with a pole arm. Armed to the teeth and hesitant, a warrior who knew of her identity was all she needed in her current standing.

"Your majesty?"

Elsa slowly turned back to the balcony. The guard would react slowly. If she ran, she would be able to reach the balcony. But beyond that, Elsa was uncertain. There was bound to be a vast drop, and despite her aeronautical experience, Elsa could not fly on her own.

Footsteps redrew her attention drew her attention back to the doorway as More guards filed into the room. At once, Elsa tried to take a defensive posture. Something was restraining her. At once, her breath pitched, and frost overcame the nearby windows. Elsa was reeling, the severity of the situation was not aiding in the matters. But the princess gritted her teeth.

A guard stepped forwards, shaking slightly. If trained warriors feared her, then she would not be well received in town upon the discovery of her identity.

"The King and Queen request your presence."

At once, the chains buckled. And with a sword to her back, Elsa knew that she had no choice in the matter. Where was Toothless when you needed him?

…

"Do you think it's dead?"

Toothless shut his eyes as they slowly opened his prison. The dragon had been moved to the dungeons beneath the castles. Apparently they were empty most of the time; he had been the first guest in years.

These men had hurt his riders. And they would pay.

"I think it is. I mean, it hasn't moved since the eve of last night."

They were speaking in a familiar tongue, but the guards were anything but friendly. If the Night Fury was to find his riders, he would have to escape. Past a castle of guards. Stealth would be essential, but he was a Night Fury, the offspring of Lightning and Death, the trainer of the humans. This would be easy for a creature of his stature.

Currently, he was chained in an upright position, a leather muzzle tightened painfully around the dragon's maw. This was unacceptable.

Something was poking his stomach, and the sharp pain that followed was barely concealed. They were touching him with the steel tipped sticks.

"You know, I'm pretty sure it's dead."

There were two of them, and one seemed to be experienced. Toothless would have to bide his time.

"That's not good; the Queen wanted it alive."

The Queen? Of course, a dragon of his significance was entitled to this reverence.

"Take it's muzzle off, we need to feed it. I heard that some rats sleep through the winter; perhaps this beast is doing the same."

The bondage was removed from his mouth, and Toothless seized his chance.

With a trademark scream of anger, a fierce explosion of the very air itself shook the prison, and Toothless fell to the ground. He was free.

The guards had abandoned their weapons, and were backing away slowly. The dragon barely spared them a passing glance as it walked past them, and they made no sound as the door to their new home closed; the two men were confined to the very prison they had been guarding.

Toothless was no rat.

…

They were almost there.

Elsa had walked these halls, a long time ago – back when she was just a child, before even Anna had been born. Her Aunt and Uncle were by far the princess's favorite relatives; she could remember the escapades with Aunt Lydia, the failed fishing attempts with Uncle Frederick.

She had gone fishing with Hiccup.

Perhaps they could help her cause. They were keeping him somewhere; if she explained her situation, they had to help her.

The Viking was nowhere to be seen, and that worried Elsa. The guards had not answered any of her questions, and there was an air of uncertainty everywhere. Her presence put the men on edge. Good.

The wind howled through the castle, and a foreboding feeling caused the men around her to shiver.

Her powers were festering for some reason, and she had to restrain herself. The princess had never felt this way before. The term was difficult to place. Powerful? Energetic? Invigorated? Something was making her uneasy, which wasn't surprising.

Whatever the reason, the gloves weren't doing a very good job at containing her powers. She could observe a thin film of frost on the windows; though Jack Frost certainly existed, the princess was certain that this cold wasn't his doing. The hems of her gloves were stretched, and the fabric seemed to be tearing.

Warily, Elsa folded her arms. She couldn't hurt any more people.

Her entourage stopped, and a guard opened the great oaken doors. She remembered playing on those chairs, those towering, elegant thrones, and amidst the many carpets and suits of armor that lined the long walk towards the throne. The King and Queen sat at the end of the hall, two men standing at their flanks. Elsa began her trek towards them, the men holding her at the tip of their weapons.

But the King raised his hand slowly. "Leave us."

Elsa had not expected that; by the vocal protests of the guards, neither had they. A single, sweeping glare silenced the uproar, though, and as the soldiers cleared the room, each giving her a pointed look.

Slowly, she turned back to her Aunt and Uncle, and almost immediately, she was enveloped – not in a violent way, but a hug. It wasn't a bad feeling, but Elsa shifted uncomfortably.

Slowly, the frost ebbed away from the windows.

"Elsa." Aunt Lydia struggled to form a coherent sentence.

The King slowly rose from his throne; he looked weary, as if he had been mourning. A moment later, Elsa realised that Rapunzel had disappeared just last night, 18 years ago.

If only he knew.

Slowly, her Uncle gave her a hug, and she savored it.

"Did he, did he ever touch you?" The Queen said, an underlying rage very evident.

That was unexpected. "Who?" She asked quietly.

The King rose, balling his fists. Uncle Frederick was much older then her Father, but he still seemed able to take on the world. "That man. The one that took you."

Elsa drew a sharp breath. This was not a good sign. "No. No, Hiccup never touched me."

Aunt Lydia raised an eyebrow, "Hiccup?"

Elsa rose, and she could feel their confused stares.

"Hiccup, no, he never touched me. Not once. He's my…" What would she say? How could she describe all of Hiccup, all that they shared, in a single word? Friend, family; dare she say it – lover?

The Queen shook her head, "He kidnapped you. I don't think you understand-"

Elsa felt something rising inside her. Hiccup would not take the fall. This was not going to happen; he had helped her and he would not take the blame.

"He never kidnapped me; he took me at my request!"

Obviously, her relatives were disbelieving, but their gazes were not on her, for the room was encased in ice. Thick, dangerous ice. Cold, desolate ice.

They didn't know.

"You don't understand. You don't understand what I went through."

She balled her fists and began her tale.

…

"Eight years ago. That's when it all started. We were just playing, and Anna wanted more. More snow, more snowmen; I-I couldn't keep up. She was – hurt by my powers, and while she recovered with no memories of the experience, my parents decreed that isolation of the source was the best solution."

Her relatives were silent, sitting in their thrones, looking gravely ill.

"I stayed in a single section of the castle; never once did I go outside. I rarely, if ever, saw Anna. My parents had claimed that it was for the greater good. And I never hurt anyone else, so I think... I think they were right. Eight years – eight years of isolation. My meals were promptly sent through the flap under the door, and I was not allowed contact with anyone save my Mother and Father."

She finally met their eyes. "When I was fifteen, Hiccup crashed into the observatory level of the castle. It was my favorite room, somewhere I could go and be alone."

"We met every couple of nights, and he was the only person I could relate to. I'm in his debt; he's my best friend. When the party came, and my powers were revealed, I knew I would become an outcast. If I wasn't executed, I would be exiled. Hiccup saw everything through the window, and we left."

Elsa rose slowly, "He's an honorable man, and he has looked out for me. He islooking out for me. Hiccup's not to blame."

Uncle Frederick slowly rose. "Elsa, are you sure? Are you defending his actions?"

Elsa shook her head. "Uncle Frederick, have you not just listened to my story? My parents placed me in isolation! I owe Hiccup my life; he's my best friend."

Aunt Lydia seemed to be examining her. One glance, and she knew what was really going on.

Collapsing in his throne with a sigh, Uncle Frederick placed a hand on the bridge of his nose. "We've made a grave mistake."

The Queen rose from her throne and strode to the doors. Throwing them open, she demanded something, looking every bit of the royal title she possessed. Movement went on behind her, and it was hastened.

Dread slowly crept into the Princess's heart.

Something slammed through the doors, knocking the guards over, and a shadow enveloped her. Battle-worn but undeterred, Toothless had arrived. The dragon growled menacingly at the surprised royals, but Elsa placed a hand on the Night Fury's snout, calming him. Silence deafened the room as the guards slowly backed down, and the King and Queen froze, glancing at one another.

Uncle Frederick began to shake slightly. "You-you weren't lying, were you Elsa?"

An urgency took hold of the princess. "Where. Is. He?"

Aunt Lydia slowly walked forwards, ignoring the aggressive Toothless. She placed a tentative hand on her niece's cheek.

"Elsa… he's-" She seemed to be struggling.

Finally, Elsa received the answer she had been dreading.

"He's slated for the gallows. His execution is happening at this very moment."

…

The wind grew louder, howling with pain and misery. And it was cold, so cold. Ice covered the floors, and the windows began to crack. Thunder and lightning began to lighten the sky; a stark contrast to the warm harbors of before. And there was snow. It was slowly falling, as Elsa struggled to grasp their words.

"Slated for the gallows."

"Execution."

And with that, Elsa collapsed, the world slowly falling into an icy grasp.

Love will thaw. Loss will freeze.

A.N. Okay, that absence was unacceptable. To be honest though, I've gone longer without updating… Probably shouldn't have said that.

This is entirely my fault; my Beta reader is not to blame. I've had the chapter for a while, but I haven't been able to proof, edit and post until tonight.

SOL testing is over, and I've had a moment to finally catch up. Bearing in mind, this is a shorter chapter, so sorry about that. I'm still not out of school, thanks to Jack Frost's extra snow days, but I'll be out soon. June 20th is my last day. I won't bother giving you a specific date to look forwards too, not when I can't guarantee it.

I'm not even going to ask for any reviews. I really don't deserve them at the moment. On the plus side, if it's any consolation, take happy thought that I'll be struggling through a full pig dissection on Wednesday, if that makes your revenge a little sweeter.

On the plus side, we've got something to look forwards to in the next chapter; it'll be interesting to say the least.

I'll update eventually, and summer will bring about some new developments. I can't believe you guys have lasted this long; thank you for your time and commitment.

-Ipods-And-Buds-1239

(Side note; you're writer just got a 103% in history for this quarter, and passed advanced in science and history on the SOL testings.)