author's note: hi i'm stars4redvines and i'm the one bringing you this story which is dedicated to my amazing secret santa, hannah also known as hanhan1705 who i like a lot. mia is so wonderful and talented and this is just a small gift for christmas. i am not great at writing characters as they would act in their respective fandoms, so i apologize for the oocness of these characters. i hope you enjoy chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

unbetaed because i've been sneaky with this present. so, any and all mistakes are my own which i will fix once i find them.

dedicated to: my awesome, lovely, terrific, fabulous, all other nice adjectives secret santa hannah or hanhan1705 for christmas.

warning: spoilers for brave, how to train your dragon and tangled. sorry!

disclaimer: i do not own the worlds of brave, how to train your dragon, rise of the guardians or tangled. i also do not own any characters associated with these fandoms. i do not even own the laptop i'm using to write this story... oh well. :p

Merida had decided that she missed the mild winters of Dunbroch when faced with the freezing temperatures and bitter winds of Berk. She missed evenings spent by the roaring fireplace in the Great Hall and snowball fights by the frozen lake with her brothers. She missed lighting candles around the castle with her parents and galloping through the snow laden trees on Angus. She remembered how even though the winters had been cold in Dunbroch, that the spring thaw would soon come and then lambs would be heard bleating in the green fields around her.

She found the icy winds and the chilly weather of Berk difficult to live in and wondered how the Hairy Hooligans managed it. They seemed content to walk around without extra clothing. She had consoled herself with the knowledge that she wasn't the only one suffering through Berk's harsh weather as the lost princess of Corona, Rapunzel, was in Berk for diplomatic lessons as well.

The two had become fast friends and soon Berk's inhabitants had grown used to the sight of the two princesses exploring the island with their horses or bantering with Hiccup as they strolled through the village. Gobber was privy to their private conversations as Merida and Rapunzel would settle beside the forge's fire and watch Hiccup at work. They discussed everything and anything that came to their minds and it made his heart soar at how happy Hiccup was with the princesses' company.

Although he had grown closer to the other viking teenagers, it had been too big a rift left by years of anger and torment to mend completely. So while he was friendly with Astrid and Fishlegs, he was completely at ease with Merida and Rapunzel, with thoughts, opinions, ideas and intelligent observations bubbling out of him. While others would have told him to shut up or listened indifferently, Merida and Rapunzel truly listened and remarked and discussed his ideas and thoughts.

It had only been a few weeks after they had arrived that the snow had begun to fall. The first time Rapunzel had woken up shaking from the cold, her loud squeals had woken up Merida in a panic as her tired mind woke up. After she had determined that Rapunzel wasn't injured and was just excited about the bright flakes falling gently from the sky, they had thrown on their warm clothing and dashed out into the frozen landscape.

Soon after that thought they were putting on every warm thing they owned and cursing the winter spirit who had brought the frigid temperatures with him; Jack Frost.

Merida had known Jack for years and although he had pulled many pranks on her with the help of her brothers, she had never disliked him more than when she was shivering in bed with her blood freezing in her veins. She had shown him her displeasure when he had swooped out of the sky after blasting her with an icy wind and she had thrown a snowball straight into his smirking face. Hiccup and Rapunzel had chuckled at the shocked look on the immortal spirit's face before a mighty snowball fight had commenced with Merida and Jack hollering insults at each other.

"Oh come on, you can do better than that carrots!"

"Shut up and admit defeat, you snowman with a stick!"

After Jack and Merida had finally run out of energy and ammunition, the group of four had retreated from Jack's blizzard to a small wooden house that Hiccup explained once belonged to some vikings but that, "Oh they decided to join some of the mainland vikings because after we made peace, there was too much colonizing and trading for them and not enough... Raiding and killing I guess."

"That's good," Rapunzel said, looking awkwardly to Merida before turning to face Hiccup with a panicked look on her face, "Not the raiding and killing, definitely not that but the fact that's good!"

Hiccup blinked at her in bemusement before he chuckled, "Yeah... We're trying to promote the fact we're more than just fighters... I mean we could definitely use more bread making vikings and house building vikings."

"Oh yeah," Jack replied dryly, "Because I would totally trust Snotlout in a kitchen."

Merida giggled as she stepped into the house with an armful of wood that she had collected, "Or Tuffnut and Ruffnut to build a house." Soon they were gathered around a pleasant fire and with the doors and windows closed to keep out the cold, the heat from the roaring fire made the house fairly cozy.

Rapunzel curled into herself as she glanced around her companions before asking hesitantly, "So... Does anyone want any chestnuts?"

"Why are we doing this again?" Rapunzel asked as she clung to Jack for support.

"Because we're going to have a little fun," Jack replied as he guided her in front of him while Merida glided gracefully across the ice, "Come on Punz, I promise I won't drop you."

Hiccup snorted from where he was watching, on the bank of the pond Jack had turned into an impromptu ice rink before he had fashioned ice skates for Rapunzel and Merida's boots. Jack glared at him before Rapunzel whined, "But why this?"

Jack sighed as he continued to guide her across the ice, "Because you said the other day that you had never done this before, so now we're doing it and we're going to have fun. Okay?" She bit her lip before she nodded and shuffled forward. He beamed at her as he pushed her gently forwards, "That's it, Punz!"

Merida watched them for a moment with a small smile appearing on her face as Jack worked quietly and patiently with Rapunzel before she began to skate across the ice again. She hadn't skated like this in years, since she was a giggling ten year old with an energetic winter spirit guiding her through the motions on Dunbroch's frozen lake. She couldn't help but laugh as her speed picked up and it felt like she was flying. Merida began spinning in a circle before swooping past an awed Rapunzel and an amused Jack, who shouted after her, "You go Princess!"

She simply grinned at him as she spread her arms wide and closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel so alive and vibrant in this moment; to truly believe that she was flying. He eyes opened just as she careened headfirst into the bank beside the rink. Merida grinned as she turned over on to her back and stared at the stars above her before her view was obscured by Hiccup's handsome and concerned face.

Hiccup blinked down at her worriedly as he scanned her for scratches or injuries, "Are you okay?"

Merida lay below him before she answered, "I'm better than okay." She smiled up at him then and he felt his heart constrict at how peaceful she looked, lying in the snow, "I'm wonderful." There was a moment where they stared into each other eyes before Merida tugged him down beside her and whispered, "What do you call the constellations here?"

He blinked her at her before pointing at the stars above them, "Okay well, see that shape over there? That's Hagen the Hunter and that cluster there, that's Wies the Warrior...

Jack sighed as he swooped through the sky before stopping beside Rapunzel. He looked over at her and she grinned back at him. "They don't see it do they?" He asked, nodding to where Merida and Hiccup were lying side by side in the snow.

Rapunzel glanced at her two friends and saw them laughing quietly by themselves. She smiled at him while she shook her head, "No."

Jack sighed as he watched his two oldest friends and believers, "That's what I was worried about."

Rapunzel quirked and eyebrow at him but he just smiled at her before flying across the ice. She shot one more look at Merida and Hiccup who were lying still in the snow. If she had skated past them at that moment, she would have seen that they were tentatively holding each other's hands.

Merida walked into the centre of the village with Jack and Rapunzel and all three of them gasped at the Snoggletog decorations surrounding them. In the very centre was a huge tree covered with colourful metal baubles and ornaments. There were also candles enclosed in clear baubles that glowed with a clear, bright light.

Rapunzel led them over to an altar that Merida guessed was dedicated to Odin as he was the king of the Norse gods. There were little figures of carved fish, goats, pigs and yaks inside, as well as carved birds. Jack pointed out the wreaths of holly and mistletoe on the doors of the houses around them and the strings of colourful wooden baubles above them.

They were still looking around them in awe when Merida spotted Hiccup standing beside a table that was covered in food that was for the Snoggletog feast. He grinned at them as they walked over to him and asked, "So what do you think?"

Merida stared at him for a second before she looked at the decorations and saw his touches everywhere around her; in the carved baubles, in the metal ornaments and in the wooden figures.

She smiled at him as she pulled him into a hug and whispered, "I'm not sure I have the words... But it really is beautiful Hiccup."

He squeezed her gently before pulling away and grinning at Jack, "Thanks but I do have a favour for my friend with the ice magic..."

Jack whooped as he soared above Berk and coating the island in a light layer of snow and ice that glittered in the moon light as the villagers approached the Snoggletog celebrations and milled around the tree. He smirked at Rapunzel as he landed, "That may be some of my best work if I do say so myself."

Hiccup smiled as he looked over the people gathered around him and the feast. He caught his father's eye, who nodded at him with pride and began to speak, "As we all know, winter in Berk lasts most of the year. It hangs on with both hands and won't let go." He paused for a second and glanced around before he saw them; the red haired archer, the brunette princess and the white haired spirit, "And the only real comfort against the cold are those you keep close to your heart."

Merida smiled at him at those words and he felt his whole body flood with warmth as he finished his speech, "So happy Snoggletog everyone and enjoy the feast." He pushed passed the villagers who were congratulating as he continued to stare at her. Once he reached her, he didn't hesitate; wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled him towards her before pressing his lips to hers. She hummed and tangled one hand in his hair while resting the other over the beat of his heart as Jack and Rapunzel cheered in the background for all of Berk to hear.

author's note: hannah, i hope you enjoyed this and that i didn't ruin mericcup for you. reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and will be given virtual night furies while flames will be put out with a fire extinguisher. thanks for reading.

-stars4redvines