Merida whirled around the mast of the ship. Her wiled hair went flying in all directions and her blue dress flapped in the breeze. She let out a giddy laugh as she began to crawl up the post to the bird's nest.
"Merida! Do be careful! What would your mother do to me if you fell and broke your neck!" her father called, laughter edging into his voice as swung around the mast as she climbed past the birds nest onto the post that held the sail. She could see it, the island of Berk. This was where her next great adventure would await. She would join the Viking teens, along with a handful of highlander teens, in dragon training. Berk was the only island that was known to have dragons, but that didn't mean that the training wouldn't come in handy. And part of the treaty between the highlanders and Vikings was that the highlanders were given the right to learn if they so wished. Merida's father had fought hard for Merida to be allowed to go to the training. According to her mother "A lady does not fight dragons" but eventually her father had won, saying that she needed a good activity to release all her energy. That worked for Merida, so long as she got to kill a few dragons it was all the same!
"Merida, get down before your mother see's you!" Her father's voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to reality. She swung down onto the mast and slid down, her fire red hair disheveled from the wind. She could barely contain her excitement as she looked at the island as it slowly began to consume the horizon.
"What if a dragon should see our ships?" Merida wondered aloud.
"Well, then we are all dead," her father let out a hearty laugh, but then turned to face his daughter "dragons rarely fly in the day, they prefer the element of surprise. Nights are what you should worry most about." Merida nodded, but had stopped listening. She was so close; she could feel the world waiting for her. Her father sighed, knowing that her mind was elsewhere.
"Dad... Thanks." He didn't respond. He knew she didn't want him to. It was a thanks that she had begrudgingly given. Not because she wasn't grateful, but because she didn't know how. She was stubborn, like his wife, and didn't always know how to let others help her. That made it hard for her to admit when she needed help. So the Bear-king just smiled and nodded.
"Why don't I go see how your mother is doing with the boys…" Fergus said as he began to trudge below deck.