A Saga Of Ice And Fire

Chapter Twenty-One - Snow Day

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of Lodbrok stall, the blacksmith's shop that sat to the south of  Hovedstad, the capital city of Arendelle .  Hiccup shook the snow off of his boots and the satchel that hung over his shoulder as he made his way inside, closing the wooden door shut behind him. The warmth inside the somewhat dingy stall was a welcome feeling as opposed to the frigid temperatures outside that made the inside of his throat feel like it was being rubbed on rough sandpaper.

It'd been over a week since Hiccup had arrived back in Arendelle and it was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders the moment he'd set foot in the docks or Port Nikolaii.  He no longer had to worry about looking over his shoulder for Snotlout; he no longer had to worry about his father and how he was most likely a huge disappointment to the King of the Wilderwest ; he no longer had any expectations or unwanted opinions hounding him around wherever he went . Here, he could just be Hiccup-a skinny, Auburn haired ten year old who was unnaturally small for his age.

As he glanced around the stall , the neat, orderly appearance of the place instantly caught his attention, a far cry from the cluttered, sooty mess that doubled as a blacksmith's stall back on Berk. He caught himself wondering why Gobber couldn't just keep things in order like almost every other blacksmith stall Hiccup had been to (Even though the only other such stalls he'd visited were the ones in Arendelle and in Corona, three years back.).

"Well, Hello there. " said a soft voice from somewhere that made Hiccup jump. An old man was was standing by the door , behind Hiccup, even though he was sure that the man hadn't been there where he'd entered the place. The man eyed Hiccup curiously with his dull, grey eyes shining like twin moons inside the dimly lit stall. For some reason, the back of Hiccup's neck prickled as the man smiled at him through his thin lips, visible from underneath his whispy greying beard. "Good morn to you."

"H-Hello." Hiccup waved awkwardly. The man than moved closer to him , his smile still transfixed on his wrinkled, aged face. Hiccup wished the man hadn't moved so close though, as the milky grey eyes were still rather creepy.

"Are you.. uh.. Are you Mr.Bjorn?" Hiccup gulped, trying to keep his tone normal.

"Depends on who's askin." the man replied vaguely , the curious glint in his eyes still there.

"Uhm. . . ." Hiccup cleared his throat , glancing around the stall, noticing the hammer , sword, cutlass and other such objects before his gaze drifted back to the tall, gangly looking old man. "I-I'm just here to commission a gift , sir."

"Hmmm . . . .Funny." Mr.Bjorn remarked quietly .

"Uh . . . .W-What's . . . .funny exactly?" Hiccup asked, suddenly beginning to regret his decision to get Anna a Bicycle as a present for Snoggletog.

"I can tell that you're not from around here. That's all." Mr.Bjorn stated softly.
"Might I know from what land you hail from , lad?"

Hiccup hesitated momentarily. He was now old enough to recognize the slight disapproval in people's eyes whenever he told them that he was a Viking. And to be honest, he didn't really blame them for how they all viewed him. Vikings didn't really have the best reputation for many things. And lately, he'd taken to just suppress that part of him to people so he could just fit in when he was in Arendelle, the only time he had a chance at not being judged simply because of who he was like he was on Berk or anywhere else in the Wilderwest.

He gave the blacksmith the same answer he'd been giving to anyone outside the castle who were invasive enough to ask him. "Uh. . . . Corona. I'm from Corona."

"Gee. . . .Someone as young as you traveled that far?" Mr.Bjorn asked , whispy eyebrows raised. "Fascinating."

"Heh-Heh . . . .Yeah. I-I'm here visiting a family of mine, actually. W-with my parents.  " Hiccup chuckled awkwardly .