Chapter 4:

What we are

"Are you going to stay here the whole day again?" Astrid voice sounded rather annoyed. Hiccup looked up from his laptop to her, arms crossed against her chest.

It wasn't as if he was secluding himself in their room, or trying to avoid anyone, "I'm trying to finish this thing, Astrid" he said, no lying in that but not saying completely the true either. He had been reading a re-reading his drafts for three days now, writing and erasing and writing again, trying to find the soulless in them, beside it give him a reason to stay indoors, very very indoors and not having to bump up with certain red head with her critics and history classes, not that it mattered to him.

He heard the blond sighted beside him "you are truly impossible" she said before kissing his forehead goodbye "I'll be off to the store and then I'll take a jog, sounds good?" she asked but he just nodded, looking at her and smiling. Astrid then left the room but before she close the door she pocked her head in and looked at him "oh and remember that I'm not staying in this room tonight, I'm sleeping in a separate room because of the wedding." Astrid smiled at him and then she was gone.

He sighed at this, closing the laptop and running a hand through his hair. Was the wedding tomorrow already? He knew that he ought to feel more excited about it but a feeling was still bothering. "It's not soulless" he said to the room, opening the laptop again and ready to write something else. He wanted to prove that he could do romances, that he could do something real and good.

Hayden's eyes stared back at the white page of Microsoft word, the tilting line starting to make him anxious but he could not write, not even a single word. Merida's critic was still meddling with his mind and he still didn't felt like going outside, but what was he afraid of? Seeing her? Surely she was pretty but getting married didn't mean that he was never to have girl friends ever again, was it? So why did he felt that he was not to befriend Merida, as if she was dangerous.

He growled and turned the tv on in his room, but nothing was interesting enough to make him forget his block or the way he had flirter with the red head. Damn it! He had flirted with her, had he not? He is going to marry tomorrow and he had flirted, or maybe he hasn't, gods he didn't even know now.

The hours pass like that and he tried to relax, remembering all the good times that he had had with Astrid, all the laughs, and the kisses, the video chat. He smiled once again, he was just nervous, that was all, he was starting a new period in his life, a new beginning of something even bigger and with an amazing woman. Of course he ought to be nervous and even have second thoughts on the matter. He wondered if Astrid has them too.

Tomorrow would a better day, a much brighter day. He did not have to worry about anything.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yes, she was a reporter, she was a journalist, she study for that, to be that one day, to go around and write about what was happening in the world, to tell and to write, to travel and see so much more… so what was she doing there still?

The conversation with Hiccup had made her think; it was really time to do something for her life. After she left she went to her 'castle room' and lock herself there, she always went there to think, it was a place that she had reclaimed as her own and it was perfect now. She took her phone from her pocket and started to record her voice, saying facts about the castle.

She was going to write that guide book her mother had asked her, and maybe she could even go out again, she was not going to let herself fall like this without doing anything. She was decided, she was going to write and keep writing until she would reach her dream to travel the world.

That afternoon when she returned home she expected to see Hiccup somewhere, but there was no signs of him, just some others that she didn't recognised and choose to ignored. Merida thought that maybe he was just too tired and went to his room but the thing was that as day drew off, she never saw him again. She knew that he was no spirit or ghost, her mother had told her that, yes, she let that young man go to the castle with her permission, Elinor ignored that Merida had gone there and thought that there would be no problem.

So he was real, but yet three day had pass and no sign of him. It wasn't like she was waiting for him outside his room, she wasn't a stalker, she only wanted to talk with him again. She needed someone to listen to her, it help her write, and he had seemed more than eager to learn about the castle, so why was he avoiding her now?

"I think I have seen her somewhere" the old Dingwall said quietly to her while she tried (and failed) to complete the crossword of the newspaper. Merida drew her eyes up to where the old man's eyes where and raised her eyebrow. It was the girl who was staying in the Inn, she was in the magazine section, with a sport catalogue in her hand. Merida smiled, it was nice to know that not all girls where draw to pick the last issue of Vogue "I swear I have seen her somewhere, don't you think the same Junior?"

Frederick Jr. who had been organizing the cans of fruit, gaze up to his father and then to the blond girl, who just about that time turn at them asking for the prince of the magazine. "it's 6 pounds" Merida replied, and with that Junior turned at the cans again and Old Dingwall walked away, as if now they couldn't continue to talk about her anymore.

"I'll take it please" she said walking towards her and placing the magazine in the counter as she fished her purse in her bag. "I think I've saw you before, you are the daughter of the Inn's Keeper, right?" Merida looked up at her and nodded, receiving the money once she handed it to her.

"Aye, I've saw you too" she replied with a smile.

"I'm Astrid" she said offering her hand and Merida shook it.

"Merida. Nice to meet you"

"I love your Inn, everybody actually, I came here with my boyfriend and some friends, they are all having a great time"

"I'm glad to hear that, maybe they can get the word out there, we wouldn't mind one or two more tourists" she smirked putting the magazine in a bag and Astrid laughed.

"Your mother said the same, don't worry, I'll do what I can" and with that she took the bag and waved goodbye.

Merida saw her walk away and sighed, if she was a lesbian she would be totally into her. Not only was she pretty but she seemed to be a great person, besides; she could notice that she was the kind of girl that like to do sports. Merida chuckled to the idea, yeah maybe being lesbian was the answer to her problem with mens, one word of it and the old man would stop to try to set her up with his son, and maybe she could live a normal and lesbian life in her own. But she knew she wasn't lesbian, what a pity.

Merida looked down to the crossword, trying to finish it now that everything was peaceful again, so she wouldn't noticed how the old man, who had been talking with his son this whole time, when to where the magazines were and took the one she had been looking, opening his mouth slightly when as he found something very interesting.

A.N: This is a very short chapter I believe, but don't worry everything is going to get better in the next chapter I asure you. I wanted to show to you here that Merida does not dislike Astrid, nor I. Since I see that many hate her for... well, because her relationship with Hiccup. I just wanted to get clear that I don't want to antagonise her and that as a character I love her... but otp is otp, and Merida and Hiccup are my otp.

To answer some of her comments! I want to clarify that Jack has no part in this fanfic, I just put him as an ex of Merida, he's not going to have a plot in here sorry if I wasn't clear before.

To the Guess user that said "Wow I know how this movie goes. Kinda fucked up for a stud to basically end up cheating on hump. She wouldn't do that but whatever..."; I don't think that you understood the film then, if that's what you think but whatever...I'm not going to explain it to you cuz then that would spoil how this fanfic goes for the ones that haven't seen that film and for the ones who have I'm sure they would be agree with me.

I'm going to stop here, writing the next chapter as you read this. haven't really got the time to sat down and write something decent but I hope you don't mind the waiting. I would love some comments, since english is not my first language I really appreciate this feedback.