Hiccup wandered through the village as he always did every night, being scoffed at by the men and laughed at by the girls.
Ever since the accident, he knew he would always be looked down upon.
To be fair, it wasn't all his fault.
But the religious beliefs of the people shun such injuries, and poor Hiccup never had a chance with any girl.
Disowned by his family, he'd often find himself waking up with a tear stained face and broken bottles of whiskey on his bed. He tried everything to fit in, to grow up and get married and be what his father, the town, and even what God wanted from him.
But if God desired so much from the young man,
Why would he deem him such an in incurable fate?
Finally the poor man decided he had enough.
He knew he needed someone. Anyone. Someone who could dry his tears, hold his hand...
Someone who could keep him sane.
So, one faithful night,
He took a turn before going to his small cottage.
He went to the doll maker's shop, drunken and unsure of what he was doing.
"I demand you to make me a wife!" He said, slamming all the money he had left on the faded wood countertop.
"Very well," Replied the old man, looking up from the doll he was painting. "Return in a month."
Hiccup simply smirked and walked out the door, slamming it and starring into the stars.
"Please..." He sighed, collapsing on his knees. "Let her be real..." He laughed at his own dumb idea. Even as drunk as he was, he still thought it wouldn't happen.
"Let her be real..." He repeated, standing on his feet.
"Let her love me."
~~~~one month~~~~
Hiccup woke up, slamming his head on the pillow and crying out it anxiety.
He couldn't even get a wink of sleep, not knowing that the closest thing to love would be at his doorstep.
Surely enough, only one moment after;
There was a knock.
He smiled to himself, finally sober for once.
Throwing the sheet behind him, he bolted towards the door, not being able to wait anymore.
He opened the door and couldn't believe his eyes.
He saw the doll maker, but no doll.
Just a beautiful, real woman standing beside him.
"Ex-excuse me?" Hiccup stuttered, pressing his hand to his forehead in disbelief.
"Sir, this is Merida. She is just like any other human on this planet. Except for a few things: her skin has a portion of porcelain in it. Get her too close to fire or heat, and she's gone. Remember this boy, the more you love her, the more lively and human she becomes. But be warned, if you neglect her, she shall become mannequin, completely plastic and gone forever."
Hiccup just stood there, starring at her smile dumbfounded.
The doll maker snapped at the delirious boy.
"Y-yes sir I understand-"
"Promise?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. I promise to love her with all of my will."
"Now, here are your marriage deeds. There will be no actual ceremony per se, but she was made with a ring and there is one for you right here. You are legally married as of now."
Hiccup smiled.
"Thank you so much, sir!"
"Well don't thank me yet. Welcome home, Merida." He said, pushing her inside and walking away.
Hiccup gently closed the door behind her.
He spent a long time examining her.
She was tall, and had an extremely tiny waist and thin arms. Her face was a tiny bit chubby, but in the most adorable way. Her face was covered with cute freckles, and her huge green eyes sparkled. But the thing that made him admire her the most: her hair.
It was longer than he had ever seen anyone's hair. It was a crazy mess of red curls, some caressing her face in the most perfect way.
"Y-you're Hiccup?" She smiled.
"Yes beautiful." He replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She blushed and snaked her arms around his neck.
"Merida, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life."
And he wasn't just saying that.
She kissed his cheek, much to the nervous man's surprise.
"I love you. I love you now, always will." He whispered, making her burn inside.
"I love you too." She put her forehead on his, and he never felt anything softer or more beautiful than her skin.
He brought his lips to hers, finally feeling what he knew he missed all these years.
About one week later, Merida became more and more human. She understood things, and you wouldn't know that she was any different than any other human walking the earth.
Hiccup couldn't have been any happier. He loved her with all his heart and she loved him even more.
There was one thing that wasn't going according to plan:
The town wasn't too accepting of Merida.
All of the women rambled on in a fit of jealousy about her.
"How could someone so pretty stay with someone like him?"
"Why don't our husbands love us like he loves her?"
"Where did she even come from, anyway?"
The men were just as jealous, and furious that their wives wanted them to treat them as Hiccup treated Merida.
"She's fake." Scoffed one.
"She's hideous." Lied another.
"Why does she even exist?" Shouted another one, as Merida walked home, striding right past them.
Yes, they had hurt their feelings. And yes, she did care.
Running inside and slamming the door shut, she collapsed on her knees and sobbed.
Hiccup ran to her, kneeling beside her fragile body.
"T-they said-" She choked.
"Shh..." He whispered, tangling his fingers in her curls. "I know what they said."
She looked at him. "Y-you do?"
"Yes. And it isn't true, Merida. You're beautiful, and perfect and I'd be nothing without you. Don't believe a word they say. I love you more than anything. I love you now, always will."
She starred at him, shocked. He smiled and her tears dried almost instantly.
He opened his arms and let Merida squeeze him, burying his face in her curls. He twirled her around and set her down carefully, holding her close.
"That's so sweet of you to say, darling." She whispered, their faces only inches apart.
He simply smiled, so happy that he wondered if this was what heaven felt like.
Later that night, Hiccup was reading and Merida came bouncing down the stairs, returning from her doctor's visit.
Hiccup stood up and met her half way, a worried look in his eyes.
"Merida, what is it?"
"Hiccup-" She replied, catching her breath. "W-we're pregnant!"
She squealed and his world suddenly changed forever.
"I-I'm going to be a father..." He said, sitting back in his chair, pressing his hand over her belly.
"You're going to be a wonderful father, and I just know it!" She happily sighed, kneeling beside him.
"I love you." Hiccup whispered, kissing her forehead.
"You know I simply adore you." She replied, starring into his eyes.
News spread around town fast, and the town became sick and tired of them.
"She's pregnant?"
"That's against religion to have a child with someone such as, well, Hiccup!"
"How does she do it?"
"How does he do it?"
"They will burn!"
The townspeople became so sick of the couple, they knew something had to be done sooner or later.
Instead of harming them right away, one of the townspeople suggested to invite them to the masquerade ball they were having.
As much as Hiccup dreaded going, the look on Merida's face when they got the invitation was impossible to turn down.
Merida wore a long, white dress with a silver mask, and Hiccup wore a white suit with a black mask.
But that didn't matter.
Even with masks, the whole room went dead silent when they walked through the room.
Merida clung to Hiccup even tighter.
"Darling, can we dance?"
"Hiccup I-"
"Please?"
She sighed.
"If we must."
She was feeling ill. So ill in fact, thinking of dancing made her want to throw up. But she couldn't tell him, she cared about him too much for that.
While Merida sat by herself for most of the party, Hiccup was drinking and dancing. She didn't mind, she just wanted to go home.
Finally she couldn't take it.
She walked up to her drunken husband, trying not to bother him too much.
"Honey can we go home? I don't feel good..."
"Merida! It's barely midnight!"
She could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Hiccup, please. I'm ill."
He glared at his pregnant wife, agreeing to go home much against his desire.
When they got home, he slammed the door shut, making her jump in shock.
"You just had to leave, Merida? YOU HAD TO?!" Hiccup yelled, grabbing her wrists hard.
"H-Hiccup-" She gasped, wincing in pain.
He had never been like this before... Especially around Merida...
"DON'T HICCUP ME! All you do is think about yourself! MAYBE I WANTED TO STAY AND HAVE FUN AND NOT HAVE MY STUPID LITTLE BRIDE TAKE ME AWAY! YOU'RE SO USELESS AND A DUMB LITTLE VERMIN!"
He pushed her on the ground, making her cry out once again in pain. He brought his fist to her soft cheek, making her bleed.
"H-Hiccup I'm sorry."
He walked away, snickering and left her laying there, covered in bruises and feeling the pain of something she'd never felt before:
A broken heart.
She slept there overnight, not daring to go and be with Hiccup.
He hurt her, and she wanted nothing todo with him for now.
She wasn't talking when morning broke, and found it very hard to move, like her joints were glued. She tried to speak but couldn't, and her facial muscles couldn't move.
Hiccup walked slowly down the stairs, sober yet realizing what he had done.
He noticed her sudden change and ran up to her.
"Merida I'm so sorry I don't know what I was thinking I didn't mean anything I said-"
And she collapsed to the floor.
Her eyes shut and she fell, almost hitting the ground before he caught her.
"No..." He sobbed, pressing his warm forehead on her cold body. "You can't leave me... I love you so much... Please... Please god..." His tears and apologies wouldn't seem to stop.
He repeated one last time, bringing his lips to her ear:
"I love you now, always will..."
Hours passed.
She never came back.
The doll maker pronounced her dead.
The town was shocked, yet relieved.
Weeks passed and Hiccup was in hell.
One moment he was in love, the next, he was yet again, in the I fiery pits of hell.
One night, he couldn't take it anymore.
Nobody cared, he didn't care...
He just wanted to be with his bride once again.
He walked all the way to the tower bridge above the river, crying and begging her to come back.
But she never did.
Standing on the ledge, he looked into the night sky and screamed.
"I love you now, always will!"
And after one step, the lost man was reunited with his love.
Shortly after, the doll maker held an auction, the winner receiving a doll wife.
Of course all of the men put everything on the line for her, if she was beautiful like Merida, it was worth it.
Finally, the towns blacksmith one.
Running up to the stand like a little child seeing his birthday present, he stood with his lips puckered out, waiting to meet his lover.
The whole town gasped when they saw her.
She was hideous. Short, fat, green, ugly, and covered in thorns. She did kiss the blacksmith alright, leaving him with a bloody lip and demanding a refund.
The doll maker simply replied:
"Because you all hated Merida so much, I decided to make a doll to be more to your tastes. Obviously, you do not like the way Merida was. And you would prefer ugly."
And with that, the whole town was filled with remorse and sadness.
Except for Merida and Hiccup, who happened to be the brightest shining stars that night, along with their child, who they decided to name Valerie Anne.
The stars always shined brighter since Merida and Hiccup fell in love, and they always will.