A/N: Mericcup is actually my very first crossover ship. I just really like the idea of Hiccup and Merida together even if it's a brotp, this is not a brotp fic btw. With that said this is my first crossover fic and more than likely will need some tweaks here and there, and wil be alearn as you go experience.

I did try to incorporate their accents, so just a fair warning when it comes to reading it

"What's the Future? It's a blank sheet of paper, and we draw lines on it, but sometimes our hand is held, and the lines we draw aren't the lines we wanted." ― John Marsden

An arrow flew, narrowly missing its target. The young girl sighed had yet to make a single bull's-eye, however, in the few short months since she had been given her own bow and arrows she had improved greatly, her father couldn't have been more proud.

She ran to gather the small group of arrows to try again, her fire red hair bounced with her small run.

As she returned to her firing spot she heard acluster of voices that were foreign to her. They sounded nothing like her mother or father's, or even the Lords of the other three clans, who had which arrived yesterday.

She peered around the corner; there were easily ten men at least. Right away she could tell that they weren't from around here. They wore many furs and earthy colored clothing; their long beards were braided in various different ways so that no two man's beard was the same. They also all wore helmets with horns, some were straight, and others crooked or curved.

And then there was him.

The only child amongst them all, he looked to be around her age. He wore no helmet and was scrawny and small; he looked out of place.

Before she could see where they were going her name was called.

"Merida," she turned around to see Maudie "there ye are. The wee Lords are looking for ye." She noticed the arrows that Merida still gripped in her hands. "Now ye know how your mother feels about ye playing with weapons"

"But I wasn't playing!" she said defensively "I was practicing."

"Any matter, I'm sure ye've had enough practice for one day, come along, we mustn't keep them waiting."

Merida ran past Maudie and grabbed her bow. "Can I at least take Naris?" she asked holding up the bow. "Naris?" she questioned. "Da says that all th' best weapons have names, so I named my bow after th' hero in one of da's stories." Maudie had a look of confusion on her face "Oh," was all she could manage to say about the child's logic "I don't think your mother would approve. You should leave it here."

Merida allowed her head to hang slightly and her shoulders drop. She walked over to where the weapons were kept and made it look as if she put it in its place, but really she had just found a clever way to hide it.

~:~

At the river the four of them played, except for Finlay Dingwall, who stared mindlessly into the running water – he had always been a little strange and short for words. Merida showed off her new bow to Grigor Macintosh and Airth MacGuffin.

The three of them were only a few years older than her, and they were really the only friends Merida ever had. She enjoyed it when they visited since there were no other children in the castle. However, they weren't always entirely nice, and by the end of every visit someone would be in trouble.

"I bet I can shoot better than ye can" Grigor said to Merida.

"I bet ye can't."

"Gimme an arrow 'n' I'll prove it."

She took an arrow from its holder and handed it to him.

"What are ye shooting at? Ye need a target."

He sighed and looked for an acceptable target. "Aright then I'll hit tha' tree" he said pointing.

He aimed the bow and pulled back the arrow, half-concentrating on where he wanted it to go andthen released it. It flew past the trees and out of sight. Merida laughed at him, even Airthchuckled quietly. He became frustrated with his own actions and threw her bow to the ground and crossed his arms in front of him. "It's yer stupid bow's fault. Cheap piece of-"

"No it's nae!" she picked it up off the ground "Ye juist did it wrong." She drew another arrow and positioned herself, hoping that all the times she had practiced wouldn't be in vain. She focused on the target and took in a deep breath, when she released the arrow it hit the tree, not the exact target, but it was much closer than Grigor's arrow.

"That's how ye dae it" she said smiling.

"Yer bow is stupid like ye." He pushed her to the ground. Merida stood up, bow in hand, and wacked him across the face with it. For someone her size, the force of the hit was hard and Grigor stumbled.

"Nae sae stupid now is it?"

She dropped her bow and dodged him as he tried to grab her and ran into the woods.

"Where are ye goin'?" Airth asked "Th' sun is settin', we should head back." He was always one to worry and take precaution.

"I have tae find th' arrow that Grigor lost. Da won't gimme anymore unless he knows I can handle at least three."

"But if we're late th' queen will have our heads."

"Why don't ye help me find it then?"

They spread out, looking under bunches of fallen leaves, in the bushes, Finlay even looked under a few rocks.

It was Merida who found it sticking out of a bush. "I found it!" she yelled informing the others.

"Great, now let's get back." Grigor looked around "Where are we anyway?" they had never been this far into the woods alone; they were supposed to stay by the river. Suddenly Finlay pointed, all three heads turned to see what it was.

A path, it was narrow and they would all have to walk single file, at the bottom it led out into the village part of DunBroch, if they were fast enough they could make it back before the sun went all the way down.

"It doesn't look safe."

"C'moan Airth, live a little. If Merida can dae it ye can." Merida had made no hesitation about taking the path. She had to get home, and didn't want her mother to have another thing to be mad at her about. They soon found out that some of the dirt was lose and if they weren't care they could slip and fall over the edge onto the rough hill that wasn't intended for tumbling or rolling down.

They were almost to the bottom and the dirt became sturdier, not all of it though. Merida had become careless with her footing. She felt the dirt give way beneath her feet; all she could think to do was clutch the arrow in her hands tight to herself. None of them could catch her in time.

Half way down there were bushes and trees that blocked the view of the bottom and she disappeared into them. The queen was definitely going to kill them now.

When she reached the bottom she was, surprisingly, unharmed. She even still had the arrow in between her hands. Smiling she picked herself up and moved her hair from her face, she then saw two large boots.

Her smile fell as her eyes rose. It was one of the men from before. They had been a good distance away before, but now she could see his face, and how much bigger he was than her. He was about the same height as her dad, but her dad's face was kind and loving, his face was mean and unforgiving. Truthfully with looks alone he frightened her, like any other small child would have been.

Merida felt like a bug that was about to be squashed.

The only time her fear allowed her to look away from him was when she noticed movement behind him. He had peeped out from behind the man's leg to look at her. He gave a small smile and wave. She didn't return the gesture.

Then she was suddenly in her mother's arms. She didn't know how she got there and she didn't care, all she knew was that she would protect her from the frightening men that she had, literally, tumbled upon.

Her mother said something to them and they replied and turned to leave. Merida didn't pay attention to the words; all that mattered was that they were leaving.

After they were half way back they came across Maudie who stood with the young Lords. She bowed slightly as they approached.

"Take Merida back and make sure she gets cleaned up and ready for supper," she was transferred from her mother to the nursemaid "I need to have a small talk with the young Lords."

The queen then proceeded to grab one ear of each and dragged them back. How she managed to do that with only two hands no one knew. Merida's mother could do a lot of things that normal people couldn't. She could walk into a noisy or crowded room and they would always fall silent and make way for her, all without her saying a word. She could control Merida's dad, the fearless Bear King, and even the three Lords of the other clans when they started one of their fights. She was a lady and people gave her respect because of it.

As they went back to the castle Merida looked over Maudie's shoulder and watched the remainder of the men leave.

"Who are they?"

"Who's who?"

"Those scary men"

"Those 'scary men' are Vikings, Merida."

"Vikings?"

Maudie nodded

"Vikings are th' bad guys though, da said so. Why were they here?"

"Ye sure have a lot of questions." she quickly changed the subject "C'moan then let's get ye cleaned up, you're filthy."

Indeed she was filthy; she had dirt smudged on her face and dress, and some leaves and small twigs sticking out of her hair.

She didn't bring up the Vikings later; she had already forgotten them for the most part, they were like the bad part of a dream. What bliss it must have been to be a child, where most things wereout of sight, out of mind.

Little did Merida know that the Vikings had been there for a reason, one she would find out only when she was older.

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