Hiccup was ready. He opened the door of the house a little and peeked out through the crack. It was a winter day, and although the outskirts of the island were shrouded in a blanket of mist, the village was sunny, brisk, and clear. A few people milled about, although most people were down at the port, making preparations for the royals' arrival. Hiccup breathed deeply and pulled the door open the whole way, taking in the view. A few dragons flew through the air, their riders keeping an eye on the ship while whooping with delight.

Astrid walked by just then, an axe over her shoulder. She brushed a strand of golden hair from her eyes, her cheeks rosy after her training. She paused in front of Hiccup's house, spying him in the doorway.

"Hey, Hiccup," she said casually. "It's the big day."

"Yeah," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm all ready."

An awkward silence ensued, something that the two were used to ever since Astrid broke up with him.

"I'll just be-"

"I'm a bit busy-"

They parted ways, Astrid kicking herself internally for acting, as she thought, so dorky, while Hiccup let the event slide from his mind.

As he made his way through the village, he recieved many pats on the back and congratulatory greetings.

"Hey Hiccup! Good luck!"

"Congratulations, Hiccup!"

"She's almost here, Hic, get ready!"

He smiled at his well-wishers, ducked his head down, and walked as quickly as possible away from them. Nobody seemed to realize that his marriage was not a thing to rejoice in. Not him, anyways.

Gobber stood in front of five teenagers, giving each of them a stern stare.

"Ruffnut and Tuffnut," he said, "if either of you cause any trouble during the Scots' stay, you'll be banned from training from a month."

"Hey!" Ruffnut yelped. "Why would we cause any trouble?"

"Yeah," Tuffnut chimed in. "We're angels."

"You mean I am," Ruffnut snapped. "We all know you're an idiot."

Tuffnut glared at her. "I am not-"

"Shut up!" Gobber yelled. "Snotlout, the same goes for you. If you make a move on that girl, you'll be right with the twins." He sighed and looked at Fishlegs and Astrid. "Fishlegs, keep your informational, rambling mouth to yourself, and Astrid, don't kill Merida."

"Why would I do that?" She asked indignantly.

Everyone snickered.

"Come on, Astrid," Tuffnut laughed a little. "We all know you're, you know, into Hiccup."

"Into...?" Realization dawned on her face. "Why you-"

She punched him in the stomach, and probably would have gone lower if Gobber didn't grab her shoulder and jerk her backwards.

"All of you," he said, "behave." And then he limped away, off to find Stoick.

The ship glided smoothly into the berth, the crewmen waving and whistling at the other Vikings. They had been sent, along with the ship, to escort Merida and her family to Berkm and they were were home. But for their passengers, the sight below was foreign and strange. Merida stood at the railing and looked down at the people below. Her brothers stood in a line next to her, all twelve years old, and well aware of the situation. Hubert, the one closest to her, squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"You'll be fine," he said hopefully. "At least we have some of our staff."

Merida nodded, looking behind her at the servants they had brought with them. A little piece of home.

"You're right," she sighed. And yet she didn't feel much better. She kept on scanning the crowd, wondering which of them was her fiance.

"Merida!" She heard her father call out, his voice a little panicked. "Could you please come help us with this insane, enormous-" His voice cut off.

She turned and saw him tugging as hard as he could on Angus's lead rope, teeth clenched. Two other men were trying to help, the Clydesdale would not move. Merida wordlessly walked over, took the lead rope gently, and clicked her tongue. Angus immediately stepped forward, ready for his owner to give him a command. The two men who were helping watched in amazement as she led the horse over to the railing.

"Don't worry, boy," she said calmingly. "It's just a little different from Scotland."

Or a lot different. The outside of the island had been blanketed in mist, yet it seemed clear as day in the actual village. The people looked huge, there were enormous cliffs, and there were large wooden pillars and platforms scattered around the landscape.

And then, she saw it.

At first, she thought it was a bird. It was the only explanation for that thing in the air, flying so gracefully.

But it looked somehow reptilian.

"What the..."

"Is that a dragon?" Fergus asked in amazement. He looked closer. "So the rumours were true."

"What rumours?" Merida asked, her eyes following the blue creature. Fergus smiled, pleased that Merida was actually talking to him. Ever since he and Elinor had announced that she was betrothed to a Viking boy, she had been giving them the silent treatment.

"There've been tales of dragons," he said simply. "Of course, we though it was too weird to be true, but, well," he gestured at the sky, where two more dragons had appeared.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked incredulously, her blue eyes widening.

"We didn't want to get your hopes up." He heard someone call his name. "I've gotta go, love. Get ready for the gangway to be lowered.| He looked at Angus. "Control him, and your brothers. I'm afraid your mother's still not feeling well."

Elinor had been plaugued with sea sickness, almost the whole three weeks it had taken the family to get to Berk.

Hubert, Hamish, and Harris rushed up, pointing at the sky and exclaiming. And for the first time in weeks, Merida smiled.

Here it is. I'm sorry it took so long to update, it's just I've been so busy. Hopefully there aren't too many grammatical and speeling errors. I didn't edit the last chapter. Thanks for reading!

Review, fav, follow! :D