Hi everyone!
I hope you like the rewritten chapter, and please review and tell me what you think!
Without further ado, introducing the new chapter of A Whole New World!
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to either Disney or Dreamworks. The storyline is my own, as are any unfamiliar characters.
Chapter One
Merida POV
"Merida!" Eleanor called from the main hall. Merida, the fiery crown princess of Dunbroch, entered the room. Her wild, flaming red hair was free of any bonds, similar to her personality, and her blue eyes were sparkling with mischief and independence.
"Yes Mother?" Merida asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of the scrolls before her mother. It was no secret that Queen Eleanor's greatest quest was to marry her daughter off and find a young man who could "tame" her. However, it was difficult, as no self-respecting prince, lord, or other young noble would dare approach the crown princess, for fear of getting a tongue-lashing as harsh as a lightning storm.
"I have wonderful news. I've received three different offers of marriage from the lords Mackintosh, Dingwall, and MacGuffin." Eleanor replied, smiling happily. Merida's eyes widened.
"Those three clans? Mother, you can't be serious!" she protested.
"They'll be coming a week from today to compete for your hand in marriage." Eleanor replied, ignoring her daughter's wide eyes and the anger slowly building in them.
"I have no say in this? Mother, if I ever get married, I want it to be to someone who can match me!" Merida said, crossing her arms.
"Merida, you will marry whichever one of these young lords wins the competition." Eleanor replied, the calm in her voice slowly disappearing as she began to lose her patience with her daughter.
"I won't do it! You can't make me!" Merida shouted at her mother, storming out of the main hall towards her room.
"You'll do it for the kingdom! It is your duty!" Eleanor screamed after her, following the young princess up the stairs. The staff and servants of the castle stood back, not daring to intrude on the battle between their queen and princess. A battle that happened nearly every day. Both women had different beliefs on ruling and marriage, and they often clashed terribly. Merida threw open the door to her room and grabbed her bow and arrows.
"Where are you going?" Eleanor asked her in a hard tone, entering Merida's room behind her.
"I am leaving. I am not marrying a man I don't know!" Merida replied, close to tears. Whether the tears were from anger or sadness, she did not know. However, Merida knew that she did not want to stay in a place that would form her into the perfect wife for a man she didn't know.
"You will and you will be more mature about it!" Eleanor said sharply, getting exasperated. Merida shook her head fiercely and pushed past her mother, running through the halls of the castle. She heard Eleanor shouting after her, and calling guards to follow her, but Merida ignored them. She ran and ran, not even paying attention to where she was going as she got as far away as she could from her mother and the laws that she was imposing on her own daughter. Before she knew it, Merida had reached the edge of her kingdom and was standing on a large rock overlooking the sea. She looked out towards the horizon, anger and sadness filling her at her mother's orders.
"I will not be imprisoned in a loveless marriage." Merida solemnly swore to herself. "I will only marry if I find someone I love." Merida sighed heavily, sitting down on one of the larger rocks, her head in her hands. The ground beneath her suddenly crumbled, and Merida fell, hitting her head on one of the rocks at the base of the cliff. She hit the water, which quickly soaked into her gown and dragged her down.
Hiccup POV
Hiccup walked down from his bedroom, finding his father sitting beside Skullcrusher.
"I'm going flying with the others, Dad. I should be back before dinner." He said, and Stoick nodded, looking at his son fondly.
"Make sure to keep the twins and Snotlout out of trouble, son!" the chief replied, and Hiccup laughed as he grabbed his jacket and dashed out the door. As soon as Hiccup exited his house, he collided with something warm and solid.
"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled at his dragon, slightly annoyed. The midnight black Night Fury flashed a gummy smile and nudged his rider excitedly. Hiccup rolled his eyes good-naturedly, and swung himself onto the dragon's back. He clipped his metal leg into the saddle, and opened Toothless' tailfin just as the Night Fury took off.
"Hiccup!" a male voice called. Hiccup turned to see Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, joining him in the sky. Hiccup smiled at his friends and they flew to the beach for the day.
"So, anything new?" Astrid asked Hiccup, smiling, when they landed. Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins ran off towards the cove, laughing and teasing each other. Hiccup smirked as he watched them, and shook his head in response to Astrid's question.
"Nothing new. I've started some new designs for Toothless' tail, but not much." He told her. Astrid nodded. Hiccup shifted turning to look at the positioning of his friend's saddle. The silence grew awkward, and he was thankful when Tuffnut ran up to the two.
"You have to come see this!" he said, slightly excited and possibly afraid. That never meant anything good for their small group, so Hiccup looked at Astrid. She was looking at him, as was Tuffnut, as the leader. Toothless nudged his rider encouragingly.
"Come on." Hiccup said, and he and Astrid followed Tuffnut towards the cove, where the edge of the cove just touched the shore of the beach. Ruffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs were all staring down at something, arguing and talking over one another.
"What's going on?" Astrid asked as they reached them. Almost immediately, Ruffnut and Fishlegs stepped away, but Snotlout straightened, lifting his chin defiantly.
"I found her! She's mine!" he told Hiccup as the slightly younger Viking walked up. Hiccup rolled his eyes in exasperation and pushed his cousin out of the way. Looking down at the object of interest, Hiccup stared down at the figure in shock. It was a girl, with fiery red curly hair. She had a sprinkling of freckles across her nose, and was wearing a dark aqua blue dress, and she had a carved bow clenched tightly in her hand.
"What is she doing out here?" Astrid asked.
"Who knows? Maybe she's got the same situation as Heather." Fishlegs replied. Hiccup ignored his friends and knelt down, gently lifting the girl so she was sitting up and leaning against his shoulder. He patted her back until she began coughing up water, her eyes slowly beginning to open.
"Where am I?" she asked, looking around at the teens that were gathered and staring at her. She looked up at Hiccup, and his own eyes widened. The girl had bright blue eyes, almost the same shade of blue as Stormfly's scales.
"It's alright, you're safe." Hiccup said, smiling slightly. "You're on Berk. My name's Hiccup. My father's the chief of the village." The girl shifted, moving to stand. Hiccup helped her, as she was slightly wobbly on her feet.
"What's your name?" Ruffnut demanded, crossing her arms and looking at the girl suspiciously.
"Ruff!" Hiccup reprimanded, shaking his head with disbelief. The bluntness of his friends never ceased to amaze him daily. The girl looked at the teens gathered around her, and Hiccup could see a strange determination light up in her eyes.
"My name is Merida." she said. "I'm from Dunbroch." Hiccup smiled, sticking out his hand.
"I'm Hiccup Haddock the Third. Nice to meet you Merida." He replied, and Merida took it, shaking it firmly with a small smile of her own.
Please let me know what you think!
I'm currently working on this story in particular, and re-writing all the chapters so that it's better written.
I'll see you soon, dragon-tamers and princesses!
Love,
Enchantress