Somebody to Love
By: BourbonCowboy
Author's Note: This is a crossover between Disney and Dreamworks. The primary focus is a love story between Merida of Brave and Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon. Other characters from other Disney movies (Tangled, Frozen) and from Dreamworks (Rise of the Guardians) will also feature throughout. This fanfiction builds on the existing stories, assuming that the major events from all the movies have already happened. Some new elements of magic are added to make the story plausible. I try to keep all the characters true to themselves, while still building a new world and allowing them to grow together in new ways. Some crossover too with ABC's Once Upon a Time.
Summary: The last of Princess Merida's suitors have given up hope that she could ever fall in love with them. In a moment of weakness, Merida once again considers a way to change her fate. Merida wishes on the Evening Star and the Blue Fairy appears to her and offers her a unique opportunity. Merida travels thru a magic mirror to a city that borders several large kingdoms. There she meets princes and princesses from all over and her quest to find her True Love begins.
Chapter One: Fate Be Changed
Can Fate be changed? This was a question that had tormented Merida for as long as she could remember. The Scottish princess stood on her balcony looking out over the rolling hills covered in heather, and watched the sun slip away beyond the horizon. The last of her three suitors had left several hours previously and Merida could no longer see his train of attendants as they marched back towards his homeland. Young Macintosh had come as a courtesy to tell Merida in person of his betrothal to a sweet Highland lass. The ghost of a smile flitted across Merida's lips as she remembered Young Macintosh's embarrassed confession: that he had fallen in love with someone else and wished to withdraw his suit for Merida's hand in order to marry another. Merida had embraced him warmly, as a friend, and kissed both of his stubbled cheeks. "I wish you and your love everlasting happiness. Know that you both will always be welcome here and that I remain your true friend." She had said with all the gracefulness of a queen. It was true that Merida wished for his happiness and she felt relieved that she would no longer have to try and force herself to love him. Young Macintosh has been the last suitor, the other two having given up and married other lasses already. It had been assumed that with no one else to divide her attention, Merida would be able to fall in love with Macintosh. But alas, try as she might she just could not give him her heart. It had been five years since her disastrous attempt to change her fate. Five years spending months at home and away getting to know the three young clan lords in hopes that one of them might win her heart.
Merida had matured into the graceful young princess that her mother had always hoped she would be. Her wild flame-colored locks were kept braided and pinned to the back of her head. Her beautiful wool embroidered dresses fit her curves perfectly and she never tracked mud in on their hems. Even her bow and arrow had been stashed away out of sight. Merida was not just a young lady; she was a princess. The sun finally withdrew its last tendril of warmth and disappeared completely beyond the horizon. Merida blew out a sigh and pushed an errant strand of hair that had escaped her braid away from her face. "What do I do now?" she asked herself. As the princess turned to go back into her room she caught sight of the Evening Star and she paused. She had not dabbled in anything mystical in five years and hesitated to do something as innocent as wish on a star. Blue eyes glanced over her should and then around furtively. There was no one in the yard below, no steps outside her door. Her eyes sought out the star again. "Please…" she licked her lips, unsure how to put the question of her heart into words. "I know that my mother just wants me to be happy, but she doesn't think I can rule alone. It will be many years before the mantle of queen passes to me. I don't know if I can…that is, I want to fall in love but…is there no one for me? Is it really my Fate never to fall in love? Please, Evening Star, find me somebody to love."
The princess finally retreated back to her bedroom, leaving her heartfelt wish to the Evening Star. She crossed to her vanity and sat down to begin the arduous task of letting down her unruly hair. Queen Elinor had been willing to allow Merida to keep her one day a month to "not be a princess" and run wild thru the woods, the wind in her hair. But as Merida had gotten older, she saw the fruitlessness of this endeavor and had not been seen with her hair down in public in a long time. She smiled to herself thinking that her hair would one day be the stuff of legends. The last pin tugged loose and her thick, wavy hair cascaded down past her shoulders and to the small of her back. Merida ran her fingers thru it, massaging her sore scalp with her eyes half closed. The soft blue light of the moon filling her room was making her tired. Merida's eyes snapped open and she threw herself into a warrior's stance. "Show yourself, witch!" Merida demanded. The light of the moon should not have bathed her room in blue, therefore it must be the work of a witch. The princess inched towards her chest where her bow and arrows were hidden.
"Do not be alarmed, Princess Merida," a gentle voice spoke, from where she could not tell. "I am the Blue Fairy, and I have heard your wish." Merida felt her cheeks redden in shame and pressed her cool fingers to them. She turned this way and that, still looking for the source of the voice. The blue light seemed to condense and crystalize and suddenly a tall, beautiful woman was standing just inside the window. The Blue Fairy, for it could be no one else, had a kind smile below twinkling blue eyes and hair the color of moonlight. Her dress was made of starlight and her gossamer wings fluttered quietly. In her hand she carried a long, thin wand. "Who…? What are you doing here?" Merida drew herself up and put on a brave face. The appearance of the fairy had her completely flummoxed, but she didn't plan to show it! "I am the Blue Fairy," the fairy said again with a smile, "You made a wish on the Evening Star and I am here to help you make that wish come true." Now Merida dropped all pretense of bravado and plopped down on the chest at the end of her bed, staring openly. "You mean…you want to help me change my Fate? So I don't end up an auld maid?" the princess whispered. The Blue Fairy nodded and approached cautiously. The fairy knelt down before the princess and placed a hand on Merida's knee. "I know you tried hard to fall in love with the young clan lords. True Love is a very rare magic indeed, and not everyone finds theirs." Merida felt embarrassing tears prick her eyes and clenched her jaw against them. "Do not be sad, Princess Merida. All is not lost. You will find love…just not in the Highlands."
The Blue Fairy stood and crossed to Merida's vanity on the other side of the room. She touched her wand to the mirror and its surface glowed with a soft blue light. The fairy nodded and turned again to Merida who was watching in wide-eyed amazement. "This mirror is now enchanted. You can use it to travel to any other enchanted mirror in all the realms. But be careful, mirror travel is not always safe." Merida gathered her wits and her skirts and crossed the room to the Blue Fairy's side. "Where should I go? I cannot just leave DunBroch! My parents…" The fairy put a hand to Merida's shoulder. "Peace, Princess. I do not suggest merely dashing thru this mirror without thought." The fairy waved her wand and a map appeared on the wall. Merida was a well-learned princess and immediately recognized the major land masses depicted on the map. Her own home of DunBroch was at the top of the map, a proud island nation with several smaller islands surrounding it. To Merida's surprise, her home was not labeled "DunBroch" on the map. Instead her name was gracefully stenciled across Dun Broch in gold lettering. To the south across a channel were several other countries also without true names but instead the names of sovereigns. Immediately to the south of DunBroch, her southern neighbors were Peter Pan and Wendy and in smaller silver letters Pixie Hollow Fairies. Bellow this country, across a channel, was written Prince Adam and Princess Belle. Across the bay from DunBroch, the country of Arendell was instead labelled Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and Prince Kristoff. Above Arendell, across the sea, was an island Merida had never seen before. It was surrounded by pictures of fierce war ships and dragons. It was labelled Berk. Was that the island's name or the name of a person?
The Blue Fairy pointed with her wand to a large star that was almost directly in the middle of all the known countries. "That is Camelot, ruled by the wise King Arthur. Royalty from kingdoms near and far travel to Camelot to learn from King Arthur and his knights. It is a vibrant, wonderful city filled with magic and opportunities. A good friend of mine, Fairy Godmother, is there and will make all the necessary introductions. She can find you a place to stay while you are there." The Blue Fairy produced an envelope out of thin air. "Present this to your royal parents. It is an invitation for you to appear at King Arthur's court. You may tell them of your enchanted mirror and use it as your way to travel to Camelot. Princess Merida, your Fate is to one day rule DunBroch with all the wisdom and courage your parents did before you. Whether you rule alone or not, that is still up to you. Go to Camelot, Princess. Learn from King Arthur and the other royals. True Love may yet find you in the most unexpected of places." Merida wanted to ask the Blue Fairy a hundred questions. But she blinked and the Blue Fairy was gone.
Merida turned the envelope over in her hand, staring at it in wonder. So many things were going thru her mind. Her thoughts were a whirlwind, she was unable to pluck one coherent thought from the muddle. Instead she placed the envelope on her vanity and walked away. She went to her dresser and pulled out a nightgown and got ready for bed. Before blowing out her candle she glanced back over at the glowing mirror on her vanity and thought "What in Fate's name have I gotten myself into now?"