This was heaven.
Sitting atop the Crone's Tooth, tendrils of fiery red locks rustled in gentle gusts of wind as Merida looked out at the skyline of her beloved homeland. She could see so much from up here. The green terrains of land, the fruitful trees, if she squinted her eyes hard enough, she could even see the battlements of the castle.
The sun was just beginning to set, casting shadows of tangerine and crimson across the sky. Closing her eyes for a moment, Merida sucked in a deep breath before releasing it once more. This was what it meant to live. No responsibilities, expectations, or rules. She finally felt free. And even if the days where she felt this state of euphoria were few and far in-between, she could swear it was all worth it.
She was tugged from her bliss by a distressed whinny from below. Opening her eyes, she peered down at Angus, her Clydesdale horse and faithful companion on all her adventures. Her brows furrowed. "What is it Angus?!" She hollered down to him. The horse nodded his head in the direction of the sky, neighing powerfully as he reared back on his hind legs before clopping back down.
She leaned her head back, her eyes searching the sky for the cause of Angus' distress. A quiet gasp escaped her lips upon seeing a midnight black creature soaring across the sunset. She stood, squinting her eyes and held a palm above her brow to shield the blaring son from her eyes.
Upon second glance, this creature almost looked reptilian, with large wings and a long tail. Atop it's back was a human with brown armor. Her eyes widened softly. A dragon rider.
Her curiosity got the best of her, and she descended down the narrow crag as quickly as she could while still being careful. Once on the ground, she threw herself on top of Angus, jabbing his side gently with her foot. "Follow them, Angus!"
The horse reared up, galavanting a path under the shadowy figure in the sky. Merida kept her sights peeled on them, drawing her bow close to her once they begun to come to a landing in a nearby glade.
Once happening upon them, she slid down from Angus, buckling her quiver around her waist and holding her bow close to her body, she snuck behind a tree, sliding an arrow in her bow, drawing it back as she swerved out, narrowing her eyes at the two strangers. "Aye!"
She was instantly met by a deep growl from the dragon, nostrils flaring as he reared back. The masked man placed a hand on the beast's head, his dominant hand reaching over to grab the weapon at his belt. He flipped it in the air before his thumb flicked the switch up, flames emitting with ease from the sword. Shocked, Merida moved back a step, her stance still remaining in it's original strength.
"Stay back, we don't want to cause any trouble." The stranger replied, muffled slightly from the thick leather of his mask that barred them.
Merida narrowed her eyes. "I know what ye are, yer a dragon rider. A viking! You've killed hundreds of our people." She lifted her chin slightly.
The man sighed, restlessness reaching his eyes of forest green. "Look, neither me or Toothless here want to start anything. You can trust me. We've been riding all day and we just need to rest for an hour or two, then we'll be on our way."
"Ye promise?" She cocked her head slightly, looking between him and the dragon. He nodded, shutting the sword back into it's relaxed state. He outstretched an arm, offering a hand to shake as a peace offering.
Lowering her bow and arrow, she looked to his hand, then back at his mask. "Take off yer mask." She ordered.
Though reluctant, he followed her demand, keeping in mind she could shoot him in the throat at any given moment. Bending over slightly, he slid off the protectant, ruffling his hair slightly. Pulling himself back up to his regular height, he gave a sigh. "Satisfied?"
Merida's brows furrowed. This wasn't the face of a blood-thirsty Viking that pillaged and raped her people as she had heard. This was barely even a warrior. He was quite scrawny, with shaggy auburn hair and a lean face. A face of someone who seemed gentle and diplomatic. The thing that intrigued her the most however were his bright green eyes. Though worn, they held a kind nature in them that she'd never see in any man, and certainly not a Viking.
Merida was not the kind to trust strangers, it wasn't in her line of thought. Especially not the kind that came from such a background as the Vikings, or any tribe that had past trouble with the Dunbroch clan for that matter. But the man before her was different, or at least gave her that impression.
After what felt much longer than it actually was, Merida slid the arrow back into its quiver, slung her bow back over her shoulder, and grasped his hand and shook it with a firm shake. His fingers were calloused, yet somehow held her hand gently
The stranger offered a small lopsided smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes, but it was there. "You got a name?" He asked her, shifting his weight, a small creak of metal sounding. She glanced down to the source of the sound, seeing that his left foot was missing, a prosthetic in place of it, similar to her father. A small smile tugged at her lips. "Merida. And ye?"
"Hiccup." He nodded. Merida's eyes widened slightly at the name, a brow cocking up. "Hiccup? Yer parents named ye after a bodily function?"
The boy laughed softly, the sound making Merida's stomach bubble, although she didn't know why. "Yeah, people on Berk tend to have a running gag on naming their spawn after interesting things."
Merida smiled brightly. "Well, we like interesting here."
The two shared smiles before hearing a warbling groan from the dragon behind him. Hiccup turned around, chuckling. "Oh, this is Toothless." He introduced, scratching under his chin. "And he's probably hungry, aren't you, bud?" He asked him, to which he nodded.
"Hungry, eh?" An idea sprouted into Merida's head. "Does he eat fish?" Hiccup nodded, to which a grin spread on Merida's features. "Follow me."