Author's Note: Thanks, guys! Keep the reviews and subscriptions etc coming and I'll keep the story coming. Have a fantastic day!

Black scaly wings shielded Hiccup from the rain as fragments of moonbeams seeped down to earth through the trees and played on the stream. He wished the rains on Berk were as mild as these on Dunbroch. He'd wanted to sit in the rain and still wake up dryer than he would at home, but Toothless had insisted upon keeping his friend dry. Hiccup wondered why Toothless hadn't wanted to go inside the witch's cottage. When the boy had asked about it, the dragon had avoided the question. At the sound of footsteps behind him, the Viking turned around. The princess took refuge under Toothless' wing. He growled but Hiccup eased him.

"It's ok, bud. She's a friend." Well, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement, seeing as hours earlier, she'd threatened to kill both him and his best friend, but for the brief time she wanted to sit on a dry bit of earth, they could be friends.

"Thanks." She muttered.

Hiccup was never very good with words. And never very smooth with girls either. Would sympathy be appropriate in this situation? He did feel really sorry for her. No mother deserved to be turned into a dragon. "I'm, uh, really sorry the witch couldn't save your mother."

Merida snapped back, "I'm not giving up. There has to be another way. And tomorrow, Mum and I will find one."

They sat in silence for a minute, letting the quiet patter of the rain suffice for ambiance.

The princess groaned and buried her face in her hands, her wild mane of hair shielding her face from view. "I can't believe I let this happen."

Hiccup didn't understand. "Let this happen? What do you mean? Wouldn't blaming yourself for this be a little harsh?"

"But it's my fault! I asked the witch for a spell to change my Mum, hoping it would change my fate."

He tried to hide is surprise. "Well! That was unexpected."

"Oh come on! Your father is chief of your tribe of lunatics. Don't tell me you've never been frustrated with him. Always telling you what you should be or who you should marry."

With girls it was always about boys, wasn't it? "Marriage, huh? Who would you rather have over the useless bum they picked out for you?"

"I don't know!" She snapped. "My parents, well, more my mum than my dad, want me to forge an alliance with another clan so we can gain territory and end feuds. But… I'm just not ready! I haven't found anyone I want to marry! And who says I have to? When I'm queen, can't I do whatever I want, anyway?"

That was not what Hiccup had expected either. She was about sixteen by the looks of her. He'd always thought at that age, girls, especially princesses, were concerned with boys and marriage. Maybe it was just what their parents wanted for them. In a few years, Hiccup wouldn't be ready to get married either.

The princess asked, "Your parents force you to get married yet?"

"Not just yet. Not quite old enough yet." Though getting a date wasn't low on his list of priorities.

"You have no idea how lucky you are. How old are you?"

Blushing, he answered her. "Well, technically I was born on Leap Day so I'm only a little older than three. BUT for all intents and purposes, you could say I'm fourteen." He gave her a moment to erupt into a fit of laughter like everyone else always did, but instead she bit her lip politely. This girl continued to surprise him again and again. "My Dad isn't too happy with me either. I'm a bit of a disappointment to him, as you've probably guessed."

The princess shook her head. "No I just assumed everyone on your barbarian island was just as crazy as you."

He smiled at her. "No. I'm about as crazy as it gets. Well, they're pretty crazy too, although it's their own kind of crazy."

"Try me." The princess listened intently, her eyes wide.

Hiccup told her all about the legends of his father as a baby, popping a dragon's head clean off, banging his head against a rock and splitting it in two. The whole time the princess bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

Turning away to watch the raindrops hit the surface of the water, she said, "I'm pretty sure your people and my people are supposed to be enemies."

"If any of your clans try to attack us, Toothless and I will be ready, won't we bud?" His dragon friend smiled in his strange toothless way. "There! Princess, look! He's smiling!"

He watched her face as she stared at the dragon in wonder. He saw the same curiosity in her blue eyes that he'd had when first met Toothless. He took her hand, her skin much rougher than he'd expected, and extended her arm towards Toothless.

Eyeing him warily, she whispered, "Hiccup, what are you doing?"

"Trust me." He whispered.

And Toothless leaned his head forward. Hiccup let go of Merida's hand quickly, worried she'd put a price on his head if he touched her a moment longer.

"There. See?"

The brave princess started scratching the dragon behind the ears. "Aw! He's nothing but a wee teddy-bear!"

"He really is. And so is your Mother. She seems sweet." Now that she'd gained Toothless' trust, even if Hiccup proceeded with what he was about to say, she wouldn't shoot him right away. "And very protective. Even if the two of you might not see eye-to-eye all the time, you can see she really cares about you."

She shrugged. "I suppose so. But what do you know? You're only a wee baby of three!" She poked him in the chest.

"I know that you only ever get one mother and once she's gone, she's gone. Helping find a way to change her back might help you two establish a better relationship."

"Why? What happened to your mum?"

"She's gone." Hiccup didn't like to think about it.

After only the rain to fill the silence, the princess replied, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"No it's not. I'm really sorry. That was rude." The princess scooted next to him and leaned up against his bony body. "You're not as comfortable as I expected you to be!"

Yet he must have been comfortable enough. A while later, the Viking asked, "Princess, are you sure you don't want a pillow?" There was no response. "Princess?" Her breath was slow and rhythmic. Careful not to wake her, he laid her down on his lap, getting his fingers tangled in her corkscrew orange hair.