Disclaimer: I don't own Hiccup or Merida, obviously. I'm not making any money off this. Both characters and the movies they come from belong to Dreamworks and Disney, respectively. If you really want to see something to blow you away, go watch the movies. Then think about these two interacting. Then you'll see what I mean.
The One Who Matters
"He's not much like his father, is he?" Elinor observed. She had been quiet for so long and Fergus so intent on his wine that he almost missed the question. The King swallowed his drink, blinking. "Hiccup, I mean," the Queen clarified. She glanced sidelong at the gangly Viking youth sitting on a bench not too far from the thrones set up on the outside podium. The lanky teen was slouched down in his place as if trying to hide from the people around him. But his green eyes were alert, watching and taking in everything with an almost cat-like intensity.
Fergus snorted and bit into the leg of a roasted fowl. "No, not like Stoick at all," he said. "I'd say more like the opposite, to be honest. I don't remember Valhallarama being a delicate woman either."
The Queen grew still at the mention of her once closest friend. Elinor had taken Valhallarama's untimely death hard, but he hoped that the passing of the years softened the hurt. Perhaps not. "No," Elinor shook her head, "She wasn't. But that's not what I meant." Elinor tapped her finger slowly against her armrest.
There was a shout of laughter from the dance floor and the Queen looked to see Merida dancing with all three of her brothers. Her young sons were giggling madly as they whirled like fairies around their older sister. Unlike Hiccup, Merida could scarcely be dismissed or ignored. She stood tall and proud, with vibrant fiery hair and bold blue eyes that feared nothing and no one. For all that Elinor's eldest child hated certain parts of being a princess, she certainly had the bearings of one. Well, no, not a traditional princess, maybe. Perhaps a touch of a defiant warrior. Everywhere she went, she drew the eyes of onlookers and it was one pair of eyes in particular that troubled Elinor.
Many eyes watched Merida. As the princess of Clan DunBroch, it was only to be expected. But it wasn't the eyes of the lords and their young sons who gazed at her daughter with bemusement, confusion and stung pride that troubled Elinor nor even the eyes of the Roman General who gazed at Merida with the dispassionate fascination and calculation of a man who moved pieces across a gaming board. No, it was the eyes of the young Viking who tried hard to blend in that troubled Elinor the most. Mainly because, even as Hiccup tried hard not to attract attention, he drew the attention of the only one who mattered.
After the song ended, Merida's brothers escorted her back to the sidelines before scampering off in search of food. Merida barely glanced at young Lord MacGuffin who called out softly, nodded to young Lord Dingwall and smiled politely to young Lord Macintosh. Elinor frowned. She knew all three boys had asked her to dance. Merida parted the crowd, waving aside friendly calls from important lords and resident castellans, and instead threw herself on the bench beside Hiccup.
"What is it, love?" asked Fergus at his wife's silence. "Something troubling you?"
"The boy troubles me," Elinor said softly. The Queen frowned, watching the pair. At Merida's approach, Hiccup had straightened up from his slouch, looking alert and pleased. Merida said something and the boy threw his head back and laughed loudly. It was startling to see the changes wrought on the boy's face. Merida melted Hiccup's caution and reserve. With his face open and animated, Elinor could see why so many of the young girls in the castle whispered and giggled as he passed. Similarly, something of the cool hardness, the distant mask Merida wore, melted in the warmth of Hiccup's regard. Merida was charismatic and friendly—but ultimately distant. Years of grilling the girl hard about the nature of politics and diplomacy had formed that mask, Elinor knew with some regret. But it was only ever with Hiccup that the mask was put away in the open. Real warmth and genuine affection softened Merida's wild, harsh beauty and made her—Elinor realized with a stab of alarm—truly lovely.
"Why?" asked Fergus, following her gaze. Hiccup whispered something to Merida who leaned back and laughed in delight. She swung her legs beneath her and put her hands down on either side to steady her. Their laughter died abruptly as they glanced at something between them. Elinor shifted in her seat and realized that when Merida had put her right hand down, she hadn't noticed Hiccup's hand already splayed on the bench beside her. Now their hands were on top of one another. Hiccup blushed furiously and drew his hand away, muttering something. Merida blinked and looked down, biting her lip. There was a moment's pause between them. "What is it?" Fergus asked his wife. "What do you see?"
Merida got up abruptly and stood in front of Hiccup, hands on her hips. Hiccup frowned up at her. She was saying something the royal pair couldn't hear, but it became obvious when Merida held out her hand to her friend and jerked her head to the dance floor. Hiccup shook his head emphatically. Merida said something in response that ended with Hiccup smirking but still shaking his head. The Roman General interrupted their conversation. He bowed formally to Merida and said something neither Elinor nor Fergus could hear. Merida nodded graciously enough but Elinor could tell genuine distress on her daughter's face even if none of it showed on her expression. Elinor was about to go down and interrupt when Hiccup took Merida's hand, bowed low over it and said something. Merida blinked in astonishment at Hiccup before grinning a wide, toothy grin—the sun blazing in the open after being briefly blocked a cloud. She ignored the Roman General, took Hiccup's arm and the two walked to the dance floor.
The crowd gave the pair a wide berth, some bowing, others greeting. It should have made Merida scowl and Hiccup shrink in discomfort. Elinor knew that from past experience. But they didn't.
Many eyes watched Merida, and Elinor knew that soon, many eyes would watch Hiccup, son and heir to Stoick the Vast of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. But for now, it didn't matter. For now, the boy and the girl only had eyes for each other.
"Ah," said Fergus, blinking. "I see what you mean."
Author's Note: Again, this is part of a larger Mericcup fanfiction that I'm writing. This was originally posted on tumblr and edited (mostly the end). Let me know what you think! I welcome reviews and constructive criticism.
If you're interested in more, I have a tumblr account that I'll probably be posting more drabbles/head canons first. My username is nessalk.