Sorry for the late post, but things will be coming more regularly from now on. I have fantastic news to share though - my writing is going to be featured in an online series produced by DreamWorks! I signed the contract this week, and my work will be used for three episodes. I'll let you know more as I find it out.
"See anything, Angus?"
Merida shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked down the dirt path, her horse peering along with her. She thought she had seen something move...but maybe it was nothing.
A year ago, she would have dismissed it. But now she peered hard into the greenery, looking for any sign of intruders. Ever since the strange people had started showing up, Merida, and the kingdom as a whole, had been put on edge. That's why she jumped when she heard the voice.
"'Ello!"
She sighed, clutching her chest. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry, Princess." A scout rode up on horseback, wearing a faded tunic with a brown belt across his torso. "Someone wants to see you back at the castle, I'll take over patrol."
"Right, thank you Alasdair." With that, she wheeled her horse around and raced away, still scanning the bushes for any of the raiders. All she saw were the trees and bushes, still and silent, their branches and crowns bowing from an unseen weight.
Soon she rode Angus over the bridge and in through the gates of Castle DunBroch. The grounds were more crowded even than before she had left that day - people were flocking to the safety of the walls. As a result, she had to carefully steer her horse through the maze of makeshift lean-to's, and finally arrived at the gate for the inner castle. She left Angus in the stables and proceeded to the Great Hall.
"Dad?" She came in and saw Fergus sitting in his simple wooden throne. "What is it? Why'd you call me back?" Then she looked closer at his face. "Ohhhh."
Merida watched as her father slowly stood from his seat and came towards her. His face was sunken in quiet despondency, and had been for some time. He looked at her for a long while before he spoke. "How was patrol today?"
"All clear, didn't see any of the raiders." She looked at his eyes, which slid away in their sadness. "Having a hard time today?"
Fergus took a furtive glance around the hall, making sure they were alone, before he rested his forehead on his hand and began to cry. "I just miss her so much..."
"Oh Dad," she rubbed his shoulder, trying to make him feel better.
The past several months had taken a toll on him. It has started with the strange creatures and their arrival. At first there were just whispers of shadows in the woods, then rumors of half-men breaking into houses, chasing children. Finally a farmer killed one and dragged it to the castle, saying that it had killed a horse and tried eating it uncooked. All of DunBroch gaped at the horrid thing; it resembled a man, but only barely. Its skin, instead of a light tan, dark brown, or some blend in between, was grey and sickly. The teeth were jutting from its mouth, and the head was shaped in a grotesque manner. After it had been taken away, the castle reeked of rot for a week.
The creatures' presence grew worse and worse, but the tipping point came one day when Queen Elinor, after taking an afternoon stroll around the walls, found herself ambushed by a group of archers. She barely made her way back inside, but her wounds ultimately proved fatal, dying before the next morning came. Ever since, Fergus had nearly driven himself to exhaustion pursuing the strange creatures that had orchestrated her death.
Dealing with the menace had already weighed upon Fergus, and the death of his wife only compounded his troubles. Merida now could hardly remember the last time she had seen him joyous, so long had he worn the mask of gloom. In fact, his despair seemed to seep into the entire castle, and all in DunBroch began to feel melancholy weighing on them, Merida herself included. Even the triplets had little energy for antics anymore.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to comfort him again. "I know that you miss her, Dad. I miss Mom too. But she wouldn't want you to be sad like this. It's just a hard time, that's all. You've been through hard times before, and I'll help you along." He looked at her, and she thought her approach was working. "Why, I'll bet that in a year, all of this will be behind us, and your heroic stoicism will be woven onto a massive tapestry, for generations to see!"
He managed to give a small smile. "Ha, you really think so? I'll deserve a tapestry?"
"Uh huh. But first you got to get us through this. Tapestries don't come cheap, you know!"
Fergus sighed. "Thank you, darling." He appeared a bit more cheerful, but his eyes were still filled with that deep-rooted sadness that Merida knew re-emerge again. She tried one more tactic to keep his spirits up.
"Just try to keep your mind on other business. The barley harvest will be in soon, and the sheep will be perfectly fattened up not long after. And hey! Don't forget the Macintoshes, and the other clans, they're dealing with the raiders too. Between the four of us, they won't stand a chance. You're not alone," she emphasized again. "It's going to be alright."
Fergus nodded without a word, his eyes still not convinced. Finally he gestured out of the hall. "I called you from patrol because you have visitors. They're waiting in the gardens, they said they had to speak with you."
"Thanks Dad. And hey," she got his attention, "stay strong." With that, she turned and left the Great Hall, heading to the gardens. As she opened the wide double doors that led outside, her visitors turned to face her.
There were five of them, all tall and hooded in black cloaks, so that their faces were invisible. She was startled by their unusual appearance, and as they looked at her, she found herself on edge.
"Come closer," one of them slowly extended his arm as he called in a soft voice. "Princess Merida of DunBroch?"
"Yes..." she stayed a good distance away from them, and found her hand itching for her bow.
The frontmost one of the figures stepped forward, keeping his arms close and his head down, like he was trying to shelter himself from the elements. "We wish to gift to you a token of our lord and master, a sign of his friendship."
"Alright, and your lord and master is…?"
"We cannot name him now, he does not wish to be known. But accept this, and wear it well."
Suddenly he jerked his head up, staring across the garden, past the castle and to the sea to the west. His four companions also glanced in the same direction. Merida tried to look at what got their attention, but could see nothing of note.
Finally the figure turned back, his voice cold and urgent. "How do we cross the ocean? It is vital!"
"Well, we have a shipyard down the path a while," she tried to trace along the distant coastline, to where a number of small boats were coming into harbor. "But be careful. Real far west, on the Barbaric Archipelago, there are these nasty Vikings, vicious brutes. Don't go out that far."
The figure did not respond, but instead produced something from his cloak, holding it out to Merida. "Accept this token, please."
Merida took it with ginger fingers. She had been handed a silver ring, decorated with vines and leaves. It was adorned with a swirl, in the center of which an oval amethyst gleamed.
"Oh wow, it's lovely-"
She looked up to thank the five of them, but they had vanished.
Astrid shoved open the door to the house, her face set and severe. She saw Valka look up from the saddle she was polishing.
"Oh dear," she chuckled, "what did he do now?"
"Missed our lunch together, which we've planning for a week." Astrid scoffed and shook her head. "Where is he?"
"He's been in his room all day." Valka stood up, taking her saddle with her. "Can I stay, or should I let you two have a moment?" Foreseeing the answer, she edged out the door behind Astrid, trying to conceal her amused smile as she left.
Astrid climbed the stairs to Hiccup's room and, not bothering to knock, threw his door open. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!"
He was sitting at his desk, hunched over something, with Toothless by his side. The sudden tumult prompted them to whip around. Hiccup nearly fell out of his seat, and his fist flew behind his back. "Astrid! Astrid, hi! Hey, Astrid, uh, I wasn't expecting you-"
"No, but I've been expecting you. Did you forget something?"
His eyes darted back and forth, searching his memory, and suddenly he looked out the window. "Oh my gods, the time. That was today, oh, I'm sorry Astrid."
"Hm." She crossed her arms, but her anger had cooled. "Well, if you were busy, the least you could have done is let me know."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry." Astrid offered him a hand and pulled him up to his feet. "I've just been a bit busy the past few days, and the time got away from me."
"I know, I haven't seen you or Toothless out much recently." She looked up at the Night Fury, who seemed relieved that the atmosphere was easing up - he could take on an armada of ships, perhaps, but he didn't dare intervene when Astrid and Hiccup had a disagreement. "What's been going on?"
"Oh, you know, just busy with chiefing duties." Hiccup laughed, ran his hand through his hair, all the usual signs he was hiding something. "If it's not one thing, it's another, and the time just slips away."
"Mhm," she nodded. "What do you have behind your back?"
Hiccup's smile disappeared. "What?"
"You're hiding something behind your back." She gestured to his left hand, which was indeed hidden. "What do you got?"
"I don't have anything."
"Now don't you lie to me, what do you have?" She tried to circle around him, and he turned to keep his hand hidden. Toothless lumbered around the both of them. "C'mon, show me!"
"Nothing, I swear!" But by his voice, he seemed close to changing his mind. Astrid stopped him with a finger on his chest.
"Hiccup," she looked into his eyes with a half-stern, half-joking look. "You let me see it."
He sighed. "Fine, but just a look." He produced his hand, and opened his fingers, revealing a golden ring.
Astrid gasped. "Chiefing duties, yeah right!" She snatched the ring up, much to Hiccup's dismay. "Oh, it's beautiful. And, aw," she looked at him, "I went and ruined your surprise." She glanced down at the ring again. "When were you planning to pop the question?"
"Er, yeah," Hiccup fidgeted, "thing is, this isn't a wedding ring." Astrid's joy deflated instantly as she looked up. "I'm still getting all that stuff figured out, before we actually get a ceremony planned. This, though," he tried to take back the ring, which Astrid kept away, "is just something I found, sorry."
"Oh." Astrid tried not to let her disappointment show too clearly. An awkward silence filled the room, until she broke it. "Where did you find it?"
"A few nights ago, Toothless and I were flying, we stopped to explore this old cove we've never seen before, and this was lying in a tidal pool."
"Huh." She held it up, noticing that his eyes never left it. "You know, I think it's just my size."
"I dunno about that. Here, let me see it." He reached again for it, and she shooed his hand away.
"I can try it on, thank you. Look, see, it slips right on."
As soon as it had fit around her finger, though, the room changed. She gasped and backed away as the room seemed to suddenly fill with fog. Hiccup and Toothless transformed into pale shadows, their shapes hardly visible. The world had fallen silent.
Above it all, though, she felt a grip of terror, like something was watching her, or searching for her. A gaze drew near, a gaze she knew she didn't want to rest on her. Astrid turned round and round, looking for her hunter, but saw nothing through the haze. Her back slammed into a wall, and with a cry she wrenched the ring from her hand.
Hiccup's room was restored to clarity, and the boy and his dragon again took form. They both glanced at Astrid and ran to her as she panted for breath. "Astrid, what happened!?"
"I...I don't know, did you see it too?"
"I didn't see anything! One second you were there, and the next you had vanished!"
"What? I was invisible?"
They both stared down at the ring, still clutched in Astrid's hand. Toothless flattened his ears against his head, warbling softly.
Hiccup wondered aloud, "What is this thing?"
The sun was setting, and a full moon began to rise with the twilight as Jack leapt over the branches of the forest. With grand sweeps of his staff, he left a thin frost that alighted on the leaves of the trees and the shrubs underneath them. Nothing too heavy-handed - it was only late spring, after all. Jack figured, though, that a freak cold snap wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Just to shake things up a bit," he grinned to himself as the forest sparkled in the growing moonlight. "I wonder if I could get away with a little snow by the Dingwalls?" He stopped and sat on a particularly high branch, kicking his feet in the air. "Anything to liven this place up, for sure."
Sure enough, the forest had been unusually quiet the past few weeks. Jack could hardly spot a deer, and he rarely heard the mockingbirds' song any more. Even the trees themselves didn't dare to sway in the breeze.
Looking out over the moonlit treetops, Jack felt a slight worry grow in his mind. Something was wrong, he could feel it. But perhaps it was nothing…
With a sigh, he fell forward out of the tree, and swooped up into the air, looking around for a group of small mountains. He spotted it behind him to his right, a collection of small worn peaks that sheltered a valley within it - Bunnymund's Warren. Perhaps all he needed was a chat to clear his head and set himself at ease.
Jack flew and landed in the middle of the green, right where the eggs ran during the Easter season. "Hey Bunny!" He called out, leaning his staff against his shoulder. "Bunny! Are you here? I need to talk to you."
He only heard his own voice echoing against the walls of the Warren. Other than that, there was only the whistling of the wind.
Feeling put off, Jack lifted into the air again, quiet and thoughtful. This was the third time in a row he'd come to see Bunny, and found no one. Normally he was up at night, working on his preparations for Easter. The lack of activity bothered Jack even further.
He landed on another tree, putting his staff over his shoulder again. "This is weird," he muttered. "I guess Bunny's planning something, or…?" Running over possible explanations, though, he couldn't really find one that fully satisfied him. Too many questions needed answering...
Suddenly he felt compelled to look up, and doing so Jack stared into the light of the moon.
"Well, it's been a while." Jack leaned on his staff now, cracking a grin. "I guess this is something big, if you're getting mixed up here. What's going on?"
The Man in the Moon didn't speak with words, but somehow Jack understood without hearing. His usually jovial expression vanished as a pang of alarm and dread filled him.
"What's happening? I...I don't understand."
Suddenly an image flashed before his eyes. He yelled, nearly falling backwards out of the tree. His grip tightened on his staff, and he glanced back up in fear.
"Oh no…"
For just an instant, the serene moonlight and twinkling stars had vanished, consumed with fire. There had been a hellish scream, and where the round of the moon had been, a hateful glare...
"Has it been found?"
The Moon stared back.
"Where is it?"
His breath coming fast, Jack leapt into the air and flew west.
