author's note: i'm so sorry for taking so long to update this story and i honestly don't have any excuses other than last year was super busy and stressful for me but i am determined to finish this story and so the next update will actually be soon and not in six months time.

thanks to everyone reading this story and virtual night furies to Princess Unikitty, AnimeRose93 and mericcupgirl who all reviewed! :)

mericcupgirl: i'm glad you're enjoying the story and here's the update! :)

i am not great at writing characters as they would act in their respective fandoms, so i apologize for the oocness of these characters. i hope you enjoy the second chapter of and i will wait for you.

unbetaed because i am a terrible person and i haven't updated in forever. so, any and all mistakes are my own which i will fix once i find them.

dedicated to: my amazing, lovely, wonderful, fantastic, all other nice adjectives friend gail or timebenderss for her birthday.

warning: spoilers for brave, how to train your dragon and tangled. sorry!

disclaimer: i do not own the worlds of brave, how to train your dragon, rise of the guardians or tangled. i also do not own any characters associated with these fandoms. i do not even own the laptop i'm using to write this story... oh well. :p


Hiccup laughed as Merida lead him through the castle, chattering all the while and asking him endless questions without waiting for an answer. He kept stealing glances at her, as if making sure the woman beside him was really Merida. In some ways she was exactly as he remembered; curious to a fault, with her accent slipping as she continued to talk and her excitement took over. Her gentle gestures and smooth stride however, had him barely recognizing her. Hiccup couldn't help but wonder how Merida had changed so much and if she found his changes as disconcerting.

Merida caught Hiccup's gaze as he continued to stare at her with his eyes glittering in the flames from the torches. She blushed and dropped her eyes as her chest warmed at his appraising stare. She could hear her accent slipping as she spoke to him in Common and she mumbled out an apology while she studied him out of the corner of her eyes. Merida could hardly believe that the man walking beside her with a quiet air of authority and confidence was the same boy who had cringed at the thought of haggis and attempted to steer her out of trouble. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of the awkward boy who had joined in so many of her childhood adventures and plotted almost all of her pranks for her brothers and Jack.

Hiccup saw her smile and felt his heart pound as he asked, "What?"

Merida blinked at him in reply before she teased, "I was just thinking about a young awkward, gangly viking..."

Hiccup laughed at her description before he countered, "That's funny actually, I was just thinking about a young stubborn, reckless princess..."

She snorted before mock-glaring at him and asking, "And what happened to this reckless princess?"

He shrugged at her before asking with a wry smile, "What happened to the awkward viking?"

Neither had noticed that they had frozen in the corridor, staring into each other's eyes and willing their hearts to slow down as they hesitantly leaned into one another. Merida rose onto her toes and watched as Hiccup's eyes drifted shut before she kissed him. For a moment he stood still and she could feel her heart sink before he tilted his head and wrapped his arm around her waist. She tangled one hand in his hair and rested the other over the beat of his heart as he toyed with the ends of her hair.

Merida drew back hesitantly, her eyelids fluttering open as she stared at Hiccup. She watched thunderstruck as he locked eyes with her and slowly licked his lips. She coloured even as she reached for him and their lips were just drawing nearer when she heard a squeak behind them. She spun around to see a flustered Rapunzel, looking anywhere but at them as she stammered out an apology, "Oh my gosh Merida I am so sorry, I just wondered where you were and I went to check on you but then I got lost and then I heard your voice and I followed you and I am just so sorry!"

Merida sighed as she broke free of Hiccup's embrace and grabbed the smaller princess by her shoulders, "Rapunzel. Take in a deep breath." After she had followed her instructions, she continued, "And you have nothing to apologize for. I appreciate your concern for me and I apologize for leaving you at the banquet without me."

She looked back at Hiccup and saw him studying her with a tilted head and a half-smile curling his lips. She turned back to Rapunzel, trying to hide the blush on her face and said, "Let's just forget that this ever happened okay?"

Rapunzel nodded frantically and Merida sighed in satisfaction before turning to Hiccup and saying, "Let's get to the banquet and you can finally tell me all about what I've missed out on." He nodded at her with that half-smile of his and she huffed before marching Rapunzel back to the Hall. Hiccup followed behind them, studying the bear designs surrounding him and the two princesses in front of him. He didn't know the younger princess personally but of course he had heard of her; Princess Rapunzel of Corona, the lost princess. He had heard all about her tale from various rumours but he doubted any of it was true; witches, singing vikings and glowing hair just didn't sound plausible to him.

He took in her small stature and short brown hair before his gaze was dragged back to Merida. He followed the curves of her body with a heavy gaze and clenched his hand into a fist as he thought of her slim yet firm body pressed up against him as they kissed each other's lips. He gulped as he saw her sneaking a glance at him and sighed.

It seemed no matter the situation, Merida always seemed to drag him into trouble.


Hiccup yawned as he walked slowly to where he thought the Dunbroch library was. He could vaguely remember running after Merida as she tried to beat at him at a game of tag. A smile graced his face as he imagined himself, laughing as he chased her bouncing red curls and her giggling as she tried to out run the bony boy following her. He was still smiling as he walked into the library and spotted Rapunzel, surrounded by many books and Merida, lying her head down on said books. Rapunzel cheerfully at him and nudged Merida, "Merida, Hiccup's here!"

He snorted as Merida's hand slapped Rapunzel's elbow away from her and grumbled into her pile of books, "Go away!"

Rapunzel pouted as she rubbed her elbow and blinked up at him, "Do you think you could wake her up?"

Hiccup sighed and looked up at the ceiling to ignore her beseeching eyes. He sighed again as he heard her whine, "Hiccup..."

He made his way over to Merida and studied her for a minute, trying to formulate a plan. He didn't really blame her for being tired though; last night had been boisterous with endless drinks as Hiccup and Rapunzel told their stories and then Merida had told her own, laughing at Hiccup's expressions throughout it. Honestly, with his headache and tired limbs, Hiccup would rather be sleeping in the bed that Merida's family had offered him but he had come to Dunbroch to forge an alliance and that meant working early in the morning and agreeing on treaties.

He prayed to Odin and Thor that she wouldn't hit him too hard as he decided on his plan of attack. He crept forward and his hands darted forward, tickling her unprotected sides. He grinned as she tried to swat his hands away and squealed, "Alright I'm awake, I'm awake!"

He laughed as he backed away quickly before she could take a swing at him and exchanged an amused smile with Rapunzel who was giggling into her hands. He chuckled as Merida glared at him as he moved a stack of books and asked, "So, where should we begin?"


Merida growled as she stalked away from the table where Hiccup and Rapunzel were still hard at work, studying cultures and laws. She could tell that they were happy enough to spend the rest of the day surrounded by all these dusty books while she was bursting out of her skin to escape the castle's walls. Her fingers itched for her bow or Angus' reins but they were only met with quills and lists of things to have done by the end of the Highland Games.

She understood why of course; these were dark times with invaders threatening Dunbroch's safety and her parents had decided that an alliance was the obvious solution to the problem. The Hairy Hooligans were old friends with many ties between the two families. Corona had been the less obvious choice but Merida could see the sense of an alliance with them; they were a small yet powerful nation with a stronger navy than Dunbroch or the vikings.

Merida sank down against a bookcase as the ancient information floated in her mind and she groaned while she shut her eyes. Her parents' were trusting her to come up with and solidify an alliance for the three parties concerned with the help of Hiccup and Rapunzel but she couldn't yet see how. There were many things they could offer but nothing seemed big enough in return for a navy of ships protecting their coast and an army of dragons protecting their skies.

Her contemplation was cut short as a cold wind blew past her, causing her hair to fly up and her eyes to shoot open. She blinked at the winter spirit in front of her and couldn't help but smile at his cheerful expression, "Hello Frosty."

He smiled back at her as he crouched in front of her, so they were now face to face, "Hello Red."

Jack frowned as he noted how tired and trapped Merida seemed while she smiled at him, "You don't look like yourself."

She snorted as she looked away from him and fiddled with the hem of her dress, "Neither would you if you were stuck here all day."

Jack nodded at her words as he peeked around the bookcase to see Hiccup. He grimaced at the amount of books he and Rapunzel were studying intently. He turned back to Merida and watched as she looked out the window wistfully. He grinned as an idea came to him and tapped Merida eagerly on the hand, "Hey princess. Want to sneak out?"

Merida leaned forward for a second before she sank back, "I wish I could but my parents..."

Jack sighed as he looked at the unhappy princess before he asked slyly, "What if I convinced Hiccup to join us?"

Merida snorted again before he explained, "No see, you can't be blamed if your guest wishes to see your wonderful kingdom and he asks you to give him a tour..."

He trailed off meaningfully and smirked as Merida understood what he meant and a glint of rebellion shone in her eyes, "He doesn't even have to ask me. If we could just get him out of the castle..."

She exchanged a gleeful smile with Jack before she headed back to Hiccup and Rapunzel. She sighed as she plopped down beside Hiccup, "It's such a beautiful day today, isn't it?" Hiccup nodded distractedly as he read a paragraph and Merida groaned before trading a mischievous look with Jack. He grinned at her in response and he held out staff as he silently called the wind.

He smiled as he felt it gather around him and released it towards the table where books and sheets went flying. Rapunzel squeaked in surprise and clutched her book while Merida burst into loud laughter. Hiccup's reaction was by far Jack's favourite though. He stared at the scattered books around him before he locked eyes with Jack. "Oh now you've done it," he growled before he made a mad grab for the laughing immortal, "I swear to Thor Jack!"

Jack and Merida only laughed harder as Hiccup chased him around the library before Jack jumped out the window. "If you want me, come and get me Haddock!" Jack hollered as he spun through the air. Hiccup cursed underneath his breath as he ran out of the library, a gleeful Merida and a confused Rapunzel hot on his heels.

As they made their way outside, they could see a smirking Jack floating above them. He waved at Hiccup and winked at Merida before speeding towards the forest. Hiccup cursed again before he ran to the stables where Toothless was sleeping. Merida grinned as she raced to Angus' stable and jumped on his back, anticipating the chase to come.

She grinned as she watched Hiccup and Toothless take to the air before she kicked Angus on and they were soon galloping after them. She didn't pay attention to the gaping crowds she passed or the cries of Rapunzel in the distance; all she could focus on was her own body and Angus beneath her as they raced towards the forest.


Jack snuck a glance behind him as he raced towards the forest and grinned when he saw Hiccup and Toothless flying after him.

He looked back further and his grin widened as he spotted Merida following them, her head thrown back as she laughed on Angus. He spun lazily in the air, allowing Hiccup and Merida to catch up with him before he sped off again. He thought heard Hiccup shouting at him but he wasn't sure with the roar of the wind in his ears.

He turned around to face Hiccup again and genuinely smiled as he could finally see the grin on his friend's face as he realized Jack had provoked him into this whole chase. He swooped down towards a clearing in the trees and alighted on a massive stone. He idly traced the designs below him as he waited for his companions to catch up.

Hiccup arrived first as he and Toothless landed in the centre of the stone circle and gazed about them in wonder. Jack watched as Hiccup wandered around the stones, studying them with his usual fierce concentration as Toothless lay down and put his head between his claws in contentment.

Jack waved cheekily at Hiccup when he finally spotted him, "Eventually catch up, did you?"

Hiccup mock-glared at him for a moment before he rolled his eyes and muttered, "Eventually." He looked around him in interest again and asked, "How did you find this place?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he looked around him before answering simply, "I didn't. Merida showed me on one of my visits."

Hiccup nodded at his words and hesitantly brushed his fingers against one of the stones, "How old are they?"

Both of their heads jerked up as Merida's clear voice answered, "No one truly knows how old they are, though many have their own theories. Some say they have always been here, guardians of the land." Jack watched in interest at Hiccup's reaction to Merida's presence. He stood straighter and taller, his whole attention fixed on her as she continued reverently, "Others claim that they are timeless because they belong to the world of the fae."

Hiccup cocked his head to the side and asked gently, "And you?"

Merida smiled softly and Jack saw as Hiccup smiled goofily back at her, "I don't believe that they have always been here or that they're timeless... But I do believe that they are ancient and tied to the land." She placed her palm against the stones and explained slowly, "I believe that they are the remnants of the old kingdom that fell, Mor'du's kingdom. Perhaps a desperate group prayed for protection from the war and destruction and this was given to them. Perhaps this is what was given to them. A sanctuary."

She tore her gaze from her hand and lowered her head in embarrassment as she saw the looks of surprise on both boys' faces. She mumbled quietly, "Not all of Mum's lessons are boring." Hiccup and Jack exchanged a glance before laughing and Merida scowled at them both, "I don't know why I even bother..."

Their laughter was cut short as Angus whinnied outside the stone circle. An answering whinny could be heard before a third figure jumped off their horse and strode into the circle, their gaze fixed on Jack. He nearly jumped off his perch in shock and joy as Rapunzel, the lost princess of Corona, pointed a slender finger at him and asked, "Who are you?"


author's note: i've decided this story is definitely going to be three chapters long. and i know we didn't see a lot of rapunzel but at least we saw a lot more of jack! gail, i hope you enjoyed this and that you're not too mad about the extremely late update. but hey, at least it isn't nearly as angsty as the story i wrote for jutine! and there was even fluffy mericcup! ;) i also hope that i didn't ruin mericcup or the big four for you.

reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and will be given virtual night furies while flames will be put out with a fire extinguisher. thanks for reading.

-stars4redvines