Ch14: Proof of a True Artist

"Now, did that meal certainly hit the spot, or did it not?" Rapunzel asked, as she and Hiccup walked out of the restaurant with their reptile friends, but not before saying goodbye to Frank, in addition to telling him that they enjoyed the food, his service, and they would be coming back another time.

"Yes, it did, Rapunzel, now I don't have to worry about my stomach making any more noises for the next few hours, so tell me, Your Royal Highness, what's our next fun activity, since you did agree to come up with something for us to do." Hiccup answered, while he stood to face the young woman.

"That's right, and I just need a moment to think. . ." Rapunzel said, and not even a lot of time had passed by before she spoke up again.

"Oh, I know! Let's go make some pretty drawings on the streets!" She recommended, hoping that Hiccup would be up for the idea as well.

"Sure, but if we're going to use charcoal, I left mine deep in my basket, which is still back up in my room of your castle." Hiccup mentioned.

"Don't worry, Hiccup, we don't have to go back, because charcoal isn't what we need for this, but different colors of chalk." Rapunzel replied.

"I'm guessing that chalk must be used to draw or write too and it must be pretty great if it comes in more than one color." Hiccup responded.

"It is, Hiccup, because it helps any drawing stand out a lot better, and perhaps you could take a bunch of it back to Berk." Rapunzel suggested.

"Maybe I should actually try out the chalk first before I make that decision, so where's the best place to make a street drawing?" Hiccup asked.

"Just follow me, Hiccup, and we'll get there in no time at all," Rapunzel declared, before she began to lead all of her friends down the street.

As soon as they started walking, Hiccup was already imagining of how fun it would be for him to create a drawing with a color that wasn't black. Not that he didn't mind using a charcoal pencil in Berk, there had been a few occasions when Hiccup felt a desire to have colors like red and orange, so he could produce a dragon's fire, or colors of green and blue for the trees and roots in the cove, as well as the waterfall and pond in the area. Hiccup wasn't really quite sure about what kind of drawing to make that could manage to stop the villagers in their tracks and have them take a second look at the drawing, or even a third look for that matter.

Even though he drew Toothless many times in the past, Hiccup couldn't imagine how the people of Corona would feel about a drawing of a dragon on one of the streets in this kingdom, so it had to be something different. A part of Hiccup believed that he shouldn't think too hard about what to draw, and the idea will just come to him, while another part assumed that their destination would be coming soon, so he had to think of an idea fast. In the end, Hiccup decided to simply relax, so that way, he wouldn't be too stressed out and not be able to even hold the chalk in his hands. Since he didn't want their walk to have awkward silence, Hiccup walked to Rapunzel's side so they could have a conversation to pass the time.

"Hey, Rapunzel, so what were the type of drawings that you made when you used chalk, because I'm just interested." Hiccup inquired.

"I've created drawings for Corona's symbol of the sun, lots of trees, birds, and other animals, as well as lanterns and stars." Rapunzel replied.

"Wow, that must be a lot, so would I happen to find any of these drawings right on the streets here, or back in the castle?" Hiccup asked.

"Occasionally, I like to make drawings on the streets, but when I'm in the castle, I have a lot more room to myself." Rapunzel answered.

"That's good, so Rapunzel, are you sure that there's going to be a lot of free space for us when we get to this street?" Hiccup inquired.

"If people have already made drawings, they'll gladly remove them to give as much available space for their princess." Rapunzel responded.

"So chalk isn't permanent, I mean, you could just use things like soap and water if you wanted to get rid of it, right?" Hiccup asked.

"You also need a bucket for the water, and a bunch of scrubbing brushes, so yes, the chalk is gone if you use those things." Rapunzel confirmed.

Hiccup was about to say something when they arrived at a specific part of the street, and he could tell why it wasn't like the others.

A total of eight small chalk drawings were already done on the ground, and Hiccup took a glimpse to see what each of them looked like. One had a few trees, another had a pink bunny rabbit, while one featured the sun and a sailboat, there was another that had a smile with two oranges for the eyes, an apple for the nose, and a banana for the mouth. He also saw a drawing which had a sun and white mountains, along with two featuring flowers, but they weren't the same, and finally, a drawing of yellow fruit, which Hiccup believed to be none other than lemons.

"Whoa, the villagers are really talented when it comes to art, so do you think they'll like whatever drawing I make?" Hiccup asked.

"Just as long as it's appropriate for everyone to see, then you're allowed make something truly wonderful." Rapunzel answered.

"Well, that's a problem, because the only thing that I can think of to draw is a dragon, so it that appropriate?" Hiccup inquired.

"Yes, but only if it doesn't manage to scare any of the villagers, and what kind of dragon did you have in mind?" Rapunzel asked.

"I've drawn many types of dragons in the past, but most of the time, it's usually Toothless that I draw." Hiccup responded.

"So just go ahead and draw him if you want, and the only colors that you'll need are black and green." Rapunzel advised.

"That's good to know, Rapunzel, and I'll do my best to have my drawing not look so scary as possible." Hiccup reminded.

When a group of citizens who were surrounding the chalk drawings noticed Rapunzel, they all gave a bow for her, then one of them came forward, with the assumption that their Princess was here so she could make a chalk drawing of her own.

"Your Highness, it's good to see you come to this part of the village, so may I ask why you're here?" The villager asked.

"Me and my friend would like to make a drawing, but I was hoping if there could be more space for us." Rapunzel replied.

"Of course, Your Highness, I'll tell everyone to remove their drawings so that you can have all the space you need." The villager said.

"Thank you very much, and I'm sorry if it's too much to ask, but nonetheless, I'd really appreciate it." Rapunzel responded.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, there's no need to apologize, and you shouldn't have to wait too long." The villager promised.

Rapunzel smiled while giving a nod of her head, before she, along with Hiccup and their friends, watched as the villager told the others that they had to get rid of their drawings, and luckily, none of them argued when they were told the reason why. Just a few minutes had passed until all of the chalk drawings were erased from the ground and each of the villagers had left the area too, but not before somebody gave Rapunzel a basket full of big chalk sticks, with one for every color of the rainbow.

"So, Hiccup, please hold a hand out for me." Rapunzel requested, as she looked for the green and black chalk sticks in the basket.

Hiccup did exactly what Rapunzel asked of him, then he looked down to see two chalk sticks in the palm of his hand.

"Now I'm sure that those are both the colors you'll need in order to draw Toothless, right?" Rapunzel asked.

"Yes, and Rapunzel, if you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to draw with the chalk?" Hiccup inquired.

"The floating lights, they're my favorite thing to draw, and I've even painted them on a few walls in the castle." Rapunzel revealed.

"I'd really like to see those walls sometime, so what colors do you usually need to paint them?" Hiccup asked.

"For the lanterns, I use yellow and orange and for a night sky, I obviously use the color of blue." Rapunzel explained.

"Hey, Rapunzel, please know that I'm only curious when I ask this, but are your drawings detailed?" Hiccup questioned.

"Yes, they are, and don't worry, Hiccup, it's not like we're having a competition to see which drawing is better." Rapunzel answered.

"I didn't think it would be a competition, it's just that I don't believe my drawing will end up looking so good." Hiccup claimed.

"What makes you say that?" Rapunzel asked, as she wondered why Hiccup would have a negative thought about his artwork.

"Maybe it would be better to find a spot comfortable for us to sit before we continue this conversation." Hiccup suggested.

Rapunzel nodded in agreement, and they sat down on a bench nearby, with Toothless lying down next to where Hiccup was sitting, and Pascal remained on Rapunzel's shoulder, while Hiccup put both of the chalk sticks that he was holding back into the basket.

"There's not really much to tell, but I used to be feel very proud of one particular drawing of Toothless." Hiccup said.

"So what was the problem," Rapunzel asked. "Did the drawing not turn out how you hoped it would?" She guessed.

"No, the drawing turned out great, but when I showed it to someone, they asked if it was a deformed lizard." Hiccup replied.

"Well, clearly, that person doesn't know real art when they see it, so anyway, who was this person?" Rapunzel inquired.

"Just one of my friends, but it doesn't matter who, because they don't consider art to be so much fun." Hiccup answered.

"What? How can anybody believe that art isn't fun, maybe I should visit Berk and prove that person otherwise." Rapunzel proposed.

"Really, you'd want to come to Berk, then you must know that it's not quite the same as Corona." Hiccup reminded.

"It wouldn't hurt to find out for myself, since I never got to spend time in any neighboring islands due to my lessons." Rapunzel mentioned.

"Perhaps you could come after my stay here in your kingdom is over, because I'm usually the best guide to Berk." Hiccup advised.

"I would love that, Hiccup, so are we going to use this chalk now, or do you want to do something else instead?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh, I still want to make a drawing, but most of the ones that I've done in Berk were mostly just diagrams." Hiccup responded.

"How about we bring our drawings together, and have it be a dragon flying through the floating lanterns?" Rapunzel recommended.

"Yeah, that's a good idea, so how about I'll draw Toothless first, and you'll do the lanterns all around him next?" Hiccup suggested.

"I guess you'll be needing these back." Rapunzel said, as she took the green and black chalk sticks out of the basket and gave them to Hiccup.

They walked over to the spot with all the space that was available for their drawings, and Hiccup got himself down on both of his knees. Hiccup began his drawing by using the black chalk to make the Night Fury's body first, and then the green chalk to draw the dragon's eyes. It didn't take Hiccup such a long time to finish the drawing, since he sketched Toothless about a million times already in his notebook.

"So, Rapunzel, what you do think?" Hiccup asked, as he got back up to stand on his feet, or rather, his human foot and prosthetic leg.

"I think that it looks wonderful, and so I promise that I'll be very careful not to ruin it when I draw my lanterns." Rapunzel answered.

"Okay, thanks." Hiccup said, before putting the chalk sticks that he used back in the basket, and taking out the ones Rapunzel needed.

"Here you go." Hiccup added, while he let the chalk sticks roll carefully down from on the palm of his hand, and onto the palm of hers.

"Thank you, Hiccup." Rapunzel replied, then she carefully knelt down to the cobblestone street, and started to work on her lanterns.

By the time that Rapunzel was finished, many lanterns of different colors and sizes were all around Hiccup's drawing of Toothless in a circle. She also managed to successfully draw a dark blue sky in between and all around the lanterns, which made for a magnificent chalk picture.

"Wow, Rapunzel, your lanterns are amazing, and it's as if my best friend is flying through a sky full of pretty lights." Hiccup complimented.

"So, Hiccup, you don't think there's too much of them, or maybe they shouldn't have been too close to your drawing." Rapunzel inquired.

"Nope, you didn't overdo it with the lanterns, and I think having them close to my drawing just makes them look better." Hiccup replied.

"Hiccup, that's very sweet of you to say," Rapunzel said, as she got herself up from the ground to wrap both of her arms around Hiccup.

Although the Viking was a little taken aback from the princess' hug, he returned the affection by patting a hand on her back for a few times. Hiccup had to admit it was kinda nice being hugged by Rapunzel, and he almost wanted to bring his own arms around her when he noticed that a bunch of villagers had stopped to take a look at the embrace that she was giving him, so it was time for it to end.

"Umm. . .Rapunzel, maybe you should let go of me now because there's people starting to stare at us." Hiccup whispered softly.

Rapunzel quickly brought her head off from Hiccup's armored chest and turned left and right to see whatever he was talking about. She instantly made a few steps back to give Hiccup some space, but that didn't stop her face from becoming more flushed by the second.

"I guess that hug I gave you was a little too long, right?" Rapunzel asked, then she let a few awkward laughs come out of her mouth.

"Yeah, but you and I are friends, so it's okay to give each other a hug sometimes." Hiccup assured, while putting a hand on her shoulder.

Of course." Rapunzel responded, and a couple of seconds went by with them just staring at one another before Hiccup spoke up again.

"Hey, Rapunzel, do you think that we should leave our name next to the drawing, so that nobody will get rid of it?" Hiccup suggested.

"Yes, that's a great idea." Rapunzel replied, as she dropped each of the chalk sticks she used back into the basket and took out a new one.

"We could do that by using our favorite color, so I mostly prefer to use the color purple, but Hiccup, what's your favorite?" Rapunzel asked.

Hiccup's favorite color used to be none other than blue, from the light blue of the sky he would wistfully stare at from either the window of the forge or his house, to the churning, blue-green blends of the sea where his mother had disappeared into many years ago. He would watch the sea as a small boy, day after day, waiting for her to return, and as he got older, Hiccup adored the blue in Astrid's eyes. When Hiccup met Toothless, it was like coming across the black shadow he always saw in the sky who gave him his first taste of victory.

The large, dark mass in the corners of his eye that jolted his stomach in a wild combination of fear and excitement at the exact same time. Seeing black gave Hiccup a jittery sensation of flight and power and purpose, to the point where he started wearing much darker clothing. Even though black was a shade of despair for many people, since they wore it for funerals usually, the color made Hiccup feel safe and loved.

"My favorite color is black." Hiccup answered, and as soon as those words left his mouth, Rapunzel looked in the basket and found his color.

Just like Hiccup had done earlier, Rapunzel let the chalk stick slide down from the palm of her hand to come onto the palm of Hiccup's own hand.

"Thanks, so I think that you should go first, since you're the princess, and there's the saying 'ladies first'." Hiccup said, while trying to be polite.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" Rapunzel asked, before she got down on her knees again to write down the phrase 'Created by Rapunzel, princess of Corona.'

Once the young woman was finished, Hiccup knelt down to put the phrase 'and Hiccup, dragon rider of Berk' right under her phrase.

"There, so now when people come by this street corner, they'll know this drawing was done by the princess and her friend." Rapunzel said.

"Great," Hiccup replied, as he dropped his chalk stick into the basket and Rapunzel did the same with hers.

"So, Rapunzel, can we go somewhere to wash our hands, or do you want to make another drawing?" Hiccup asked.

"You're the one who's new here in Corona, so I'll let you make that decision." Rapunzel answered.

"Well, I'd like to wash my hands, and perhaps both of us could do something new after?" Hiccup requested.

"Okay," Rapunzel said, as she put the basket of chalk sticks on the bench they sat on earlier. "I know a fountain nearby that we can use."

Upon hearing this, Hiccup let the princess take the lead as he and Toothless followed her to the location of the fountain. Hiccup let Rapunzel go first in washing her hands from all the dusty chalk and he patiently waited until she was done.

"Rapunzel, didn't you tell me that everyone in the kingdom release lanterns on your birthday?" He asked.

"Yes, I did, Hiccup, so why you do ask?" Rapunzel inquired, as she became curious to what he had in mind.

"How would you like to take a flight with me and Toothless on your next birthday?" Hiccup suggested.

"I'd love to do that, and I can only imagine it'll be more fun to watch them in the sky." Rapunzel replied.

"What do you say that we shake on it, so we'll know that we made an agreement." Hiccup offered.

Once he finished washing his hands, Hiccup brought one of them up for Rapunzel to shake, which she did. Rapunzel felt happy to know that when her birthday comes, she'll be trying something new and different.