A Christmas Carol

Kura: Man, when I came up with this, I wanted to cry!

Sakura: We hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 2

Merida and Astrid walked towards the Berk Orphanagem which was run by Cecilia Bennet and her family. Her husband worked over in Burgessm their neighboring city while she looked after all the children, including her own. Cecilia had two children, a boy named Jamie who was eight, and a girl named Sophie who was about two and a half.

"CECILIA!" Merida called as she banged the door open, "WE'RE BACK!"

Cecilia smiled as she entered the room followed by several children. Jamie ran up to Merida, a small white object in his hand.

"Meri! Astrid! Looklooklook!" He showed off the object and opened his mouth," 'ook, ma 'ooth 'ame 'outh!" Astrid and Merida laughed, knowing he had said, "look, my tooth came out!"

"How?" Astrid said.

Jamie smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"He ran into the couch while he was playing tag with some of the other kids," a small brunette female said. She was leaning on crutches, her short brown hair in two low pigtails.

"Hicca!" Astrid picked up the girl, smiling as she poked said child's cheek. "How are ya holding up?"

Hicca smiled sadly, rubbing her left leg, feeling nothing as she did. Ever since she was born, she wasn't able to use her left leg, a simple surgery to cut it off and a prosthetic would have fixed everything, but with the lack of money...

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Merida reasured her, hope in her eyes, "now, can ye tell me how Jacklyn is?" Hicca nodded and squirmed out of Astrid's arms. She took her crutches from the blond and hobbled to the bedroom upstairs. Carefully, she made her way up each step, the two elder girls and Cecilia following at a slow pace. Finally reaching the top, Hicca walked towards the end of the hallways and opened the door on her right. Poking her head in, she looked back at Merida and Astrid with a small smile. She entered the room and the others followed. Hicca made her way over to a bed. In it, was a small girl with chocolate brown hair, that was slowly showing hints of white. Her once brown eyes, were more paling slowly, a hint of blue showing if you looked closely enough. Pale cheeks were flushed red with fever. Merida sighed as she sat next to the bed.

"How long?" Was all she had to ask.

"About a week," Cecilia said, "she's been up here for about a week, there's only so much I can do for them..."

Cecilia sighed, leaving the four girls and Jamie, who had decided to come up, alone, telling them dinner would be ready in an hour.

"Merida?" Astrid asked, concern leaking in her voice, a rare thing to ever happen.

"Do ye remember the first day we came here?" Merida asked, getting a laugh from Astrid.

"How can I not?" Astrid commented as she started to play with Hicca and her Bombay, Toothless, who wasn't actually Toothless.

FLASHBACK!

Ten year old Astrid Hofferson and nine and a half year old Merida DunBroch were walking along with their mothers. They were going to an orphanage, something about giving them extra food. The two had heard stories from Rapunzel Corona, a six year old whose best friend was an orphan back at her home in Corona.

"Elinor," Astrid's mother, Eira, spoke, "are you sure this is the right way? I mean..." Even though Eira packed a good right hook, her maternal instincts were almost twice as strong.

"Aye," Elinor frowned, "but I was expecting... better conditions."

The two women continued to chat as their daughters played around. Merida laughed at Astrid when she fell over a crutch.

"Sowwy!" The two turned their heads and saw a small girl, about one perhaps, hiding in the bush with a black kitten.

"Who are you?" Astrid asked.

"Hicca!"

"Bless you," Merida said and the girl pouted.

"Hicca! Hicca! Hic-" A young woman walked over to them, "there you are!"

"Merida!"

"Astrid!"

Elinor and Eira ran over to their daughter. Hicca picked up her crutch, for a one year old, she knew how to use it to get around. Eira stared at it.

"Why does she..."

"Walk with a crutch?" The woman finished for her. Eira and Elinor nodded while their daughters stared at the piece of wood, "Hicca was born with her left leg being... how do I explain this... Hicca has no feeling in her left leg, the lower part at least. She can't walk with a crutch, unless she's able to get surgery when she's older, she'll always need it. My name's Cecilia Bennet, owner of the Berk Orphange. This little one, is Hicca Dragonia." Hicca smiled and held her kitten close.

Elinor and Eira shared shocked looks as they followed Cecilia to a fairly well looking house. It was large and well kept.

"You can thank my husband for this," Cecilia said. She walked into the the building, her four guests following. An African America woman walked over to her.

"Cecilia," she said, urgency in her voice, "we got another one." Another one?

Cecilia followed the woman to a seperate room. Inside was a slumbering infant.

"When..."

"A few minutes after you left, ma'am. Here." Cecilia took the letter from the woman.

"Thank you Katherine. You may leave, tell your husband I said hello." Katherine nodded and walked out of the room.

"To whomever may read this,

Please take care of our daughter. I truly wish we could take care of her, but we can't. My husband and I are very ill, and the doctors tell us we have little time. Please, tell my baby I love her, that if I had the chance to see her live a long life, I would. But do not wish to burden my child with the sight of my death. I beg of you, take care of Jacklyn, her birthday's December 21. Tell her we love her, tell her we will watch over her from the heavens, and tell her, every year, we wish her a merry Christmas.

Lucinda and Justin Overland."

Cecilia looked at the calendar on her wall. It was December 23, Jacklyn had been born only two days ago. She sighed as she picked up the infant, who had woken and was now crying.

"Don't worry Jacklyn," she whispered, "they'll never forget you." She picked up a picture of a man and a woman holding a newborn child. Merida and Astrid had no idea why, but they just felt the sudden need to help this place out. Hicca's leg and Jacklyn's parents being too ill to care for her, who knows who else would enter those doors for something they never expected? The loss of sensation in a limb? The loss of a family they never knew? Merida walked over to Cecilia, who smiled as she leaned over so she could get a better view of Jacklyn. Dark brown orbs blinked open, a toothless smile appearing on the infants face as she let out a laugh.

"I promise ye'll be fine Jacklyn," Merida whispered as she wiggled a finger in front of the child's face, "I promise ye'll be fine."

END FLASHBACK!

"And we've been coming everyday since," Astrid said.

It was true, everyday, the two would visit, sometimes bringing Rapunzel with them as they did. When Jacklyn was one, they learned she was able to fall ill quickly, and with the right medication, she would be alright, but they didn't have the money. Merida had promised herself things would turn for the better, but so far, it seems only a miracle could save this place and the children inside.

Kura: review!

Sakura: Next time, Alvin visits Stoick!