(a/n: thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy and please review!)
Ch.4: Escape
Merida's eyes opened slowly.
Her vision was completely blurry and she saw nothing but fuzzy shapes moving in front of her.
She blinked a few times and slowly everything came into focus. Merida saw that she was in the middle of a great, stone hall. It was enormous and it looked big enough to hold the entire population of a large village.
Large stone and wood pillars held up the high ceilings, torches and lamps provided lighting to the hall.
Scattered around the hall were large wooden tables that could seat a dozen people each.
Tapestries hung on the walls depicting scenes of men in horned helmets battling fierce monsters and other opponents. There were several men in the hall, all wearing heavy furs, horned helmets and carried weaponry.
They all sat around a single table at the far side of the hall, eating and chattering among their group. Merida frowned in confusion as to where she was.
But suddenly her memories of last night returned.
Vikings attacked, Duncan and the Witch fell off of the castle's turret and that boy hit her with that strange blue dust.
Merida tried to stand but she found that she couldn't. She looked down and saw that she was tied to her chair by large coils of rope.
Merida heard the doors to the hall open and she saw a single figure enter. As the figure approach, Merida got a better look at the newcomer.
It was the boy who threw the dust. He wore the same clothing, minus the helmet.
The boy carried a wooden plate in his hands.
He placed the plate on the table in front of Merida and he looked her in the eye saying, "I'm going to untie you. Don't try to escape because you won't make it out of this hall alive, so please just eat your breakfast and don't do anything stupid. Ok?" Merida nodded.
The boy undid the ropes holding Merida in place and he sat down in the seat across from her. Merida rubbed her wrists and she looked down at the bowl that sat in front of her. On the plate was a giant leg of turkey, cooked fish and an apple.
Merida looked up at the boy who sat across from her and he just nodded "It's ok to eat"
Merida hesitated and eventually she started to eat. After a few minutes of eating, she asked the boy through a mouthful of food "Where am I?"
"You're in Burk" said the boy "A small island that's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery"
"Sounds like a charming place" said Merida, sarcastically
"It is" said the boy "We have hunting, fishing and a charming view of the sunsets".
Merida smiled a little. She held out a hand "I'm Merida" the boy accepted her hand and shook it "I'm Hiccup".
Merida snorted and she tried not to laugh but Hiccup just waved a hand "Go ahead, laugh. Everybody does" Merida laughed.
Hiccup's lip twitched and he chuckled a little.
Once Merida finished laughing, she coughed and asked, "What were you going at Castle DunBroch?"
Hiccup sighed, "We were gathering food for the winter" "Why?" asked Merida "By the looks of things, you lot look like you have enough food"
Hiccup nodded "We do but our numbers are slowly growing to the point where we have to go raiding nearby villages and castles for food, all thanks to Rumpelstiltskin".
Merida's eyes narrowed "What about Rumpelstiltskin?"
"Oh you know how he duped some poor king and took his kingdom" said Hiccup, waving a hand.
Merida shook her head "No, I don't"
Hiccup raised an eyebrow "Really? I mean everybody has heard the story"
"I didn't" said Merida "Now, tell me what is going on and how do you know Rumpelstiltskin?"
Hiccup took a deep breath and explained "Well, Rumpelstiltskin made a deal with a king who was having financial troubles. The deal was that the king would have the ability to turn anything he touches to gold, in return for a few sacks of gold. Well things were going well for the king and his kingdom, they became prosperous until one day, and the king accidentally touched his daughter and turned her to gold. He went to Rumpelstiltskin and begged him to take his gold touch back but Rumpelstiltskin refused, saying that it was impossible unless they made a new deal"
"Let me guess" interrupted Merida "He wanted the king's kingdom in return for taking away the gold touch and returning the king's daughter to normal".
Hiccup nodded "You got it. The king refused at first, knowing that his kingdom was important to him but eventually he gave in. He signed another contract but something went wrong. The king was turned to a statue of pure gold. As it turned out, Rumpelstiltskin tricked him and placed a curse on him. With the king gone, Rumpelstiltskin claimed the kingdom as his own"
Hiccup sighed "And they say that he keeps the king and his daughter as ornaments in his castle's courtyard".
Merida shook her head, she couldn't believe it, Rumpelstiltskin had duped another kingdom and this time he has trapped the two royals as decorations for his garden.
Merida decided to ask Hiccup the most pressing question on her mind "Hiccup?"
"Hmm?" said Hiccup
"Why am I here?" asked Merida "Why did you bring me to Burk?"
Hiccup's expression turned sad and he looked away from her.
Merida frowned "Hiccup?"
Hiccup sighed deeply and said softly "We brought you here…so we could turn you over to Rumpelstiltskin"
"What!?" exclaimed Merida "Why?.
Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck "Rumpelstiltskin has put a bounty on the head of a red haired girl from Scotland, he didn't say who exactly but from the description he gave, it sounded a lot like you"
"Why did he put a bounty on my head?" asked Merida.
The young Viking shrugged "I don't know but the price on your head is pretty large and…we need the money"
"What for?" said Merida "You're Viking's-"
"Who are in desperate need of supplies" interrupted a voice.
The two turned and saw Astrid, the blond girl who Merida fought. She sat down beside Hiccup and eyed Merida coldly "These days we don't do much raiding and pillaging, most of the time we're trying to guard our lands from Rumpelstiltskin and his army of witches. Our allies come to us for protection and that means more mouths to feed. If we turn you over to the dwarf, he will reward us richly".
Merida wanted to argue but Astrid did make a valid point. If the situation were reversed, she probably would've done the same. Merida could only nod.
After Merida had finished eating, Astrid and Hiccup escorted Merida to her new living quarters.
As they walked through the village, Merida took in her surroundings with awe. The village was composed of dozens of sturdy houses made of wood and stone with carvings of dragons on each roof.
The village was built on the side of a steep slope.
Further up the slope, Merida saw newer homes being constructed.
In the skies above, she saw something that made her eyes widen "A-are those?" she stammered "are those dragons?"
"Yeah" said Hiccup, smiling a little. Soaring above the village were a pair of large dragons with twin heads and green scales. Hiccup explained that several years ago, dragons were constantly attacking Burk stealing livestock and what not. Eventually they learned that the dragons were only giving the stolen livestock to an even bigger dragon that would devour those who didn't serve him.
Hiccup, Astrid, their friends and some dragons were able to kill the large dragon. Then, over time, Hiccup brought dragons and Vikings together.
Astrid added that with the help of the dragons, they were able to fend off Rumpelstiltskin and his witches to the point where Rumpelstiltskin agreed to leave them be.
The three reached a small hut. Once they were inside, Merida saw a large wall of iron bars blocking half of the room. It was a prison.
Behind the wall of iron bars, was a small bed. Astrid opened the door and she shoved Merida in.
Once she locked the door, Astrid told Merida, "You will be staying here till tomorrow morning"
"What happens tomorrow morning?" asked Merida.
Astrid smirked "Rupelstiltskin will come and collect you".
Outside, a figure in a dark green cloak quietly strolled through Burk.
Vikings passed him by and paid no attention to the stranger. He accidentally bumped into a Viking girl but she thought it was her twin brother who hit her.
The cloaked figure sighed in relief that his spell was still working and he continued on.
He came to a stop outside a small hut that rested at the edge of the village. He put his ear against the door and listened. He heard three voices. Two were unrecognizable and the third he recognized instantly. He heard footsteps approaching the door.
Quickly, he darted around to the side of the hut and he patiently listened.
Two Viking teenagers walked out of the hut, one girl, one boy. The girl rubbed her hands together "That takes care of that"
"I don't know Astrid" mumbled the boy "I don't think we should do this"
"Do what?" asked the girl named Astrid
"Handing her over to Rumpelstiltskin" said the boy.
Astrid sighed "Hiccup-" "You and I both know what he dose to the girls he catches," said Hiccup "Do you want that to happen to her?".
Astrid was silent for a moment, and then she said softly "Yes, I know what he dose to them and no I don't want that to happen to her. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemies, but we have to do this or else we won't see Fishlegs, my brother or any of the other's Rumpelstiltskin is holding prisoner".
Hiccup didn't speak. Hiccup only nodded. The two began walking away from the hut.
The cloaked figure smiled "This is going to be easy" he muttered.
Suddenly he felt a warm gust of air hit the back of his neck.
He turned and he saw a large, black dragon with emerald eyes staring him down and looked ready to rip him apart.
Duncan sighed "Me and my big mouth".
The hours slowly crawled by and the sun slowly sank beyond the vast horizon, turning the sky dark. The stars gleamed and the moon cast a pale light on the village below.
Merida sat in her prison trying to figure a way to escape but so far she had nothing.
Hiccup brought her lunch and they talked as she ate. They talked for hours and the more she talked to Hiccup, the more Merida came to enjoy his company. Hiccup had left a while ago and left a young dark haired Viking named Snotlout to guard her, in case she escaped.
Merida found the dark haired Viking annoying.
He constantly boasted about how strong he was and he even tried to flirt with her once.
She decided to try and get some sleep. Finally after what seemed like hours, the door opened and Hiccup walked in carrying her dinner.
Hiccup turned to Snotlout saying, "You can go now, it's my turn to keep watch"
"Finally" said Snotlout relieved "I'm starving" he got up from his seat and he left the hut.
Once the door slammed shut, Hiccup tensed up "How did I do?"
Merida frowned in confusion "What?"
a new voice spoke "Perfect".
Merida looked around and saw nobody "Who said that?" "I did," answered the voice.
Behind Hiccup there was a shimmer and a figure in a green cloak appeared. The figure pulled off his hood revealing a familiar face "Duncan!" exclaimed Merida.
The elf looked a little tired but he looked perfectly healthy. Duncan smiled "Miss me?"
"How are you alive?" asked Merida "I saw you and the witch fall"
the elf shrugged "A simple spell helped cushion the fall" he shook his head "Anyway, there's not much time we got to go" he pointed at the door to her cell, the lock clicked and the door swung open.
Merida walked out of her cell and hugged the elf saying "Thank you".
The elf frowned and awkwardly returned the hug saying, "You're welcome".
Merida looked up at the elf "How did you find me?"
"That parchment I gave you" said Duncan "I put a tracking spell on it. After we fell, the witch told me to track you down and help you if you were in trouble".
He turned his attention towards the door and said, "We must leave, or we'll be discovered".
Duncan handed Merida a knife and he left the hut.
Merida looked to Hiccup who looked petrified. She grabbed his arm and dragged him along.
The three of them quietly made their way through the village.
The entire village was quite with no one in sight.
Merida frowned "Where is everyone?"
"At the feast" answered Duncan "They're having a little celebratory dinner before they give you up to Rumpelstiltskin"
"Why?" asked Merida.
The elf winced "Well it may have something to do with the vast reward, the return of the people who are being held captive and something about the dwarf killing you"
"What?!" said Merida, her voice almost rose to a shout.
Duncan told Merida that he Rumpelstiltskin had been rounding up all red haired girls he could find and imprisoned them or killed them. The elf went on to explain that Rumpelstiltskin is quite sure that the Vikings have the right girl he's looking for and he's planning on making a personal journey to Burk and execute her.
Duncan shrugged "Which is why we need to leave soon. Dawn will be here in a matter of hours and we have to put some distance between us and Burk"
"How?" asked Hiccup "The amount of distance you want to cover in that amount of time would be impossible"
the elf grinned "That is where you are wrong my friend".
Astrid was on her way to the feast when she decided to check on Hiccup, who was on guard duty.
She strolled towards the hut and she paused, noticing that the door was wide open. Astrid cautiously approached the hut and she looked inside.
The inside of the hut was completely empty, no Hiccup and no Merida in sight.
Astrid gritted her teeth and growled, "I'm going to kill her". She turned and took off running in search of Merida.
Duncan exclaimed, "Here we are!"
The elf had led the two teens to a small glade where a large black dragon with green eyes waited for them.
The dragon looked up from the pile of fish it was eating from and it perked up "Toothless?" said Hiccup in surprise.
Duncan quirked an eyebrow "You know him?"
"Yeah, he's my friend" said Hiccup. The dragon got up then went up to Hiccup and Hiccup hugged the dragon "Hey buddy"
Toothless looked to Merida and growled at her.
Duncan held up a hand "Don't worry, she's with me" the dragon looked to the elf than to Merida. The dragon inspected Merida for a moment then seemed to relax.
Hiccup looked to Duncan in surprise "How did you do that?"
"I spent some time with dragons when I was younger" explained Duncan "lets just say that they understand me".
The elf clapped his hands together "Right, now lets get going".
There was a snap, the three turned and saw Astrid stumble into the glade.
She eyed the three "What's going on here?"
Hiccup was at a loss for words, Duncan remained silent and Merida only stammered.
Quickly, Merida grabbed Hiccup and she put her knife to his throat saying, "We were just leaving"
Hiccup's eyes went wide "We are?"
Astrid scowled at Merida and she growled "Put the knife down and let Hiccup go" "No" said Merida.
The two backed away towards Toothless, Astrid cautiously stepped forward.
Merida noticed that Astrid was reaching for something behind her and she brought the knife closer to Hiccup's throat "Don't try anything" warned Merida "Or else".
Astrid froze and grudgingly obeyed.
Duncan raised his hand and he hurled a blue sphere of light at Astrid. The blue light struck Astrid in the face and she collapsed.
Hiccup looked the elf in shock "What did you do?" "Don't worry, she's just taking a nap" said Duncan "Now before anyone else shows up, lets go!"
Hiccup crawled onto the saddle that was on the dragon's back and Merida got on behind him.
Duncan looked around and he said, "Go, now!" "What about you?" asked Merida
"Toothless cant carry all of us" said the elf "I'll have to find my own way out of here" he handed Merida a rolled up bit of parchment "Follow this map, I'll meet you at your destination and please don't loose it this time".
There were some shouts coming from the woods and Duncan growled, "Go!"
With that, Toothless took off. The dragon soared into the dark sky, flying higher and higher till he was a speck against the pale moon.
Once he was alone, Duncan looked around him in the empty glade and he pulled on his hood then departed the glade.
After hours of searching for Hiccup and Merida, the sun rose and the Vikings decided to report it to Rumpelstiltskin.
On the horizon, they saw a large ornate carriage that looked like a goose's egg approached the village, pulled by a massive goose.
Escorting the flying carriage was a swarm of witches, clad in black armor and cloaks.
Once the carriage touched down in the heart of the village, Rumpelstiltskin hopped out and greeted the Vikings cheerfully "Hello good people of Burk!" he grinned broadly and waved.
He was dressed in a fine white and gold robe with a white powdered wig on his head.
The dwarf's emerald eyes looked up to Stoick the Vast and said "Well Stoick old buddy, where is this prisoner of yours?"
"Escaped" grunted the large Viking.
The grin on Rumpelstiltskin's face vanished "What?"
"She escaped" growled Stoick "And she took my son"
Rumpelstiltksin snarled "How could she escape!" "She had help" said Astrid.
She explained what happened and Rumpelstiltskin shook his head "This isn't good, w-we have to find her and fast!"
"We will" said Stoick "I've already gathered a search party and we're going to set sail after them"
Rumpelstiltskin nodded "Yes, good, good".
Suddenly an idea came to mind and he smiled "To ensure that the safe return of your son and my prisoner, I'm going to enlist the help of some old pals of mine".
Rumpelstiltskin barked "Baba!"
A dark haired, grey skinned witch stepped forward "Yes?"
"I want you to send a message to some friends of mine" said Rumpelstiltskin
"And who are they?" asked Baba.
The dwarf grinned and said darkly "The Huntsman and the Piper, and tell them that its urgent".
The witch nodded "Yes sir".
Rumpelstiltskin let out a small chuckle and rubbed his hands together knowing that pretty soon, Merida was as good as dead.
End of Chapter
(a/n: well what do you think? In future chapters, theres going to be some characters from other movies like Rise of the Guardians and probably Tangled. Anyway, if want more than review!)