It took a week to get Eret away from the brink of death, and another week before he could stand on his own two feet again. Hiccup, now relieved that his friend was nearby and on the mend, set a date for their departure, the last day of December. He also managed to learn quite a bit about the Scots before their departure, getting to participate in Merida's lessons, and learned a thing or two about fine tuning his skills with a blade, thanks to Fergus. Merida even helped him better his archery skills. He surprised her one evening with a little quip.

"Thanks so much for helping with that."

"Sure! No problem! Better than sitting around doing nothing while Eret gets better."

He grinned at her before running a hand through his brown locks, "Um, yeah. You also have more patience."

Merida glanced up from picking up the bow and arrows, "Huh?"

"Back home, everyone thought I couldn't do anything, and so, they didn't let me use any weapons for a very long time. I think the most I had was a pocket knife for little things that would need cutting, like rope. Not exactly a very good weapon to defend oneself against a dragon or another Viking with."

Merida chuckled, "No, but I bet it was the perfect size for you."

"What? What are you talking about? Are you suggesting that I am tiny?"

Merida burst out laughing, "Maybe."

"What? Well excuse me, princess, but I will have you know that I am bigger than you, which means that five years ago, you were smaller than me. So hah, how about that?"

"Well, considering that you were only fifteen five years ago, and I just turned sixteen, so, technically, if we were both fifteen, I'd still be taller than you . . . right?"

"Uh . . . but you have grown in the past year, so technically, no."

"Not by much, actually, so technically, yes," she pointed out. She waited for his reply with a grin on her face.

"OK, but I know how tall I was five years ago and I was still taller than you now . . . well, maybe you've gotten to the same height now, but I was still taller."

Merida giggled, "Not too sure about that."

"Well, I will admit, at least with you guys I don't have to be a 'normal Viking'," he stated, emphasizing with quotation marks in the air.

Merida snickered, "Well, with us, being a 'normal Viking' isn't a good thing, so of course we'll accept you being yourself."

Hiccup grinned, then gave a little sigh, "I almost don't want to go back, they still expect me to be the big macho man all Vikings tend to be."

"Tend to be, but not all are," Merida pointed out, giving him a smile. Hiccup sighed and sat down, his head sinking into his hands. "Hiccup?"

"My dad expected it of me, so I could be chief. But I'm not like him, and I don't think I ever will. Dagur just proved that, all too well."

Merida rolled her eyes, but Hiccup wasn't looking, "Listen, you are a good chief. You just have to do things your way, and do things that you know to be right. Everyone else will come around eventually, and if they don't they can leave. They're not your prisoners or anything."

Hiccup snorted, "I guess that could be a solution. I don't know, it's just, I think I've come to like Scotland, a lot."

"Really?" Merida seemed a bit too excited, but neither of them noticed. "Well, you can come and visit us a lot."

"But I'm the chief."

"Of course, and as chief, you have duties to your allies. You do have to meet with them every now and then," she grinned. Hiccup's mouth dropped open before it reshaped into a laugh.

"Merida! That's right! You're absolutely brilliant!" He gave her a hug, then pushed her away when he realized what he was doing. "Oh, um, sorry, I shouldn't have hugged you. That was a bit, undiplomatic of me."

Merida just giggled and hugged him, "It's alright, we're friends, right?"

Hiccup smiled, "Right. Well, I should probably get to bed, it's getting late."

"Right, and I have a few more things to take care of before I head for bed."

Hiccup smiled and patted her hand, "Right, well, thanks, for the lesson, and for the talk."

"Oh, not at all, it's not everyday I get to talk with someone who sounds more intelligent than one of the clan heirs."

Hiccup laughed, "That bad, eh? Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight!" called Merida as he walked away. She turned to pick the bows, paused, and glanced at her hand. She could still feel his touch, and her heart was still fluttering, the same way it did whenever they touched. What was going on? They were just friends . . . weren't they? She bit her lip as she finished cleaning the archery equipment, she would have to think more on this, this feeling that she had never encountered before.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was a bit worried about the whole scene. He hadn't meant to hug her, the only girl he had ever hugged was Astrid, and it felt awkward hugging another girl. He paused, it wasn't awkward, per say, as much as he found himself enjoying the contact and, surprisingly, wanting to hug her for as long as he could. He was glad Merida confirmed that hugging was just a sign of friendship in Scotland, but he couldn't help thinking that hugging her was different from hugging Astrid, or that his heart skipped a beat when she hugged him. Once inside his room, he glanced at his hand, touching her, talking to her, it all felt different than touching or talking to Astrid. He had figured out why talking with Merida was so different, she had more in common with him than Astrid ever did, she seemed to understand him more in three months than what Astrid did in five years. But her touch was another thing. He flexed his fingers as he remembered her smooth, pale hand just beneath his corse, darker hand. Really, it wasn't that much different than Astrid's, but for some reason, it seemed warmer. He paused and let out a breath, his heart was racing. He let in and out a few breaths to calm it down before collapsing on his bed. But even there, the thoughts refused to quiet down, and sleep refused to come and relieve him. He glanced at his hand again, thinking of the whole conversation. He curled it up tight into a fist, swearing right then and there that Dagur would regret taking the dragons, and he would make sure that the Scots would be left alone.

December came and went a little too quickly for everyone, except Eret. Eret was more than happy to set off on the journey, but only Elinor's knowing eyes caught a glimpse of why Eret wanted to leave, and perhaps why Hiccup wanted to stay. The day of departure came with bittersweet anticipation, everyone hoping that Eret and Hiccup would get back home before the Vikings left Berk in search of their chief. Hiccup did leave instructions on what to say and give to the Vikings if they showed up after they had left. By daybreak, their beary forms could be seen disappearing into the horizon, Eret in the front, Hiccup in the back, stealing glances at the Scots every now and then. He clamped his mouth shut, he would miss them, he was missing them already, in fact. But he had a village that depended on him, to lead, to protect, and to care for, and he had been gone for too long. Heaving a sigh, he put on a burst of speed and caught up with Eret, the two saying in stride for several hours, stopping only for a quick drink and a light lunch. They continued on until they changed into men, but even then they kept on until well after the moon came out, stopping only for another light meal and sleep. They continued their journey much like that, in complete silence, each to his own thoughts, each knowing that their time was running out, and fast. Getting through Scotland was the easy part, the hard part was getting off and making it safely to Berk across miles of ocean. Hiccup started pacing back and forth when they reached the northern seashore of Scotland, there was miles and miles of icy water between them and home, not ice, as Hiccup had hoped it would be by the time they had arrived.

"Uh, Hiccup, what should we do? The storm's getting worse!"

Hiccup let out a puff, his breath came out like a wisp of steam, "We should find shelter, this might be the storm that's supposed to freeze the sea! Come on!" As Hiccup and Eret turned to move further inland for shelter, the wind died down and snickering was heard over the wind.

"What's this? Two bears that can talk! What will that witch think of next?" asked the white-haired teen as he landed in front of the bears. Eret gave a growl and stood between him and Hiccup.

"No, Eret, wait! Th-that's Jack Frost!"

The sprite shot them a mischievous grin, "That's absolutely right, I am Jack Frost." Hiccup moved from behind Eret to face the king of winter. Eret glanced at him.

"Are you sure talking with him is a good idea?" he whispered.

"Right now it's better than attacking him, he is the spirit of winter. Besides, you can watch him for any sudden moves, just let me do all the talking, alright?"

"Of course, you're good with that." Hiccup shot him a warning glance before taking up talk with Jack.

"What? No 'At your service'?" quipped Hiccup.

Jack laughed, "You see, that's the thing, I'm not at anyone's service but my own. I can decide if that storm will have the strength to turn the sea into ice, or it can simply pass over, and there will be no ice until next winter."

"OK, so then ,what's your decision on that?"

"What's it to you?"

"The lives of everyone on Berk depends on it, especially ours."

"Oh, now that's something, your lives are basically in my hands."

"Yes, basically. So can you please freeze the sea so we can cross?" asked Hiccup.

"I don't know, I'm pretty random, I could change my mind in a split second."

"Um, is there any way of convincing you to freeze the seas, without, you know, changing your mind?"

"A deal might work, but it has to be good."

"Um . . . there's really not much we have that we could give you right now, so . . ."

"Uh, no, it has to be from you, Master Chief."

"Uh, what? What did you call me?"

"You heard me, Master Chief, you now, a combination of Dragon Master and Chief of Berk."

"Wait, wait, you know who I am? Do you know who we are?"

"Uh, yeah, I've been bringing winter for the past few weeks, or didn't you notice the lovely little frost that's been spreading over Scotland?"

"Oh, right."

"And besides, I just visited Berk, you're in for a surprise when you get there."

"I-I know, the dragons are gone, which is all my fault . . ."

"Not that."

Hiccup glanced at him with worry, "What are you talking about?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? Any more information would require another deal, you already have one on your hands."

"Can you at least tell me that everyone is safe?"

"All safe and sound, waiting for the triumphant return of the chief."

"I am not returning home triumphant, if anything more a fool and a loser than when I left."

Jack clicked his tongue, "My, my, such a depressing thought. Then stay here, and you won't be a fool any more!"

Hiccup sighed, "No, I have to tend to my duties as chief. So will you, or will you not freeze the sea?"

"OK, OK, calm down, calm down, no need to yell. I already told you that you can make a deal with me to ensure that the sea freezes. To be honest, I really don't care what it is, but, it has to meet these requirements; it has to come from you, not passed from your friend there to give to me, it has to be from you; it has to be small so it can fit into my pockets, and it has to have some kind of connection to you, whether physical, mental, or emotional, it has to have some kind of connection. So, think you have something that would fit all three?"

"I-I don't know, there must be something . . ."

"But you have to be in your human for that, right?" Hiccup gave a little nod. "Well, how about this, I'll go around taking of spreading some more winter until sundown, that should give you some time to think about what you can give and to build a shelter for the storm, if you have something that would make the deal."

"What? And what if you forget about us?"

"Eret!"

"It would be hard to forget, I'm kinda curious to see what the Master Chief can come up with. Not only that, but I also want to see you change from bear to human, that would certainly be an interesting sight."

"No!" Jack and Eret glanced questioningly at Hiccup. "You can watch if you give us news of Berk."

A grin spread across Jack's face, "Oh-ha-ha, well you're catching on quick. Fine, it's a deal."

"Uh, why not watch us change in exchange for freezing the sea?" Hiccup shot Eret a glare.

Jack merely shook his head, "Nope, it's not the same, watching you change isn't quite enough for freezing the seas. You see, it uses a lot of my strength for that, so I need something more. If you are willing to give up something in exchange for the use of my energy, then it's a deal, got it?" Jack stepped closer to the two bears, frost appearing underneath his feet. Eret gulped and nodded, glancing sideways at Hiccup. The chief was right this time. "Good, I'll be back at sundown!" The sprite took off, a trail of snowflakes in his wake. The two bears glanced at each other and silently went to work getting together a shelter in the hopes that Jack Frost would deliver the big one.

At sundown, the changes began, but they were beginning to worry, there was no sign of the winter king, and Hiccup still had no idea of what to give. When the changes were complete, Hiccup set about looking through his things to see if there was possibly anything he could give to Jack, anything at all. He ran his hand through his hair, and paused, fingering a few strands. Would hair work? It was definitely from him, and it was definitely small enough to fit in Jack's pocket, and it was connected to him, at least physically. A smile of relief lit up his face, the answer was hair!

Eret moved aside a make-shift door, "Hiccup, I think he's on his way here!"

"Perfect timing, I think I've got something."

"But Berk . . ."

Hiccup sighed, "We won't be able to hear of news, but right now, getting there is more important. Oh, hello, Jack. No news, I presume?"

"Eh, yeah, sorry about that." Hiccup was taken back, Jack sounded genuinely sorry. "But, I can still do the storm, you got something for me?"

"Yes."

"Where is it?"

HIccup let out a sigh, "A few strands of my hair." Jack and Eret glanced at him questioningly, again.

"What?" asked Eret.

"It's definitely from me, it's small enough to fit in your pocket, and it's connected to me, at least physically."

Jack laughed, "You're right, that works! This sea will get the biggest freeze in it's life!" Hiccup sighed with relief as he plucked out a few strands and gave them to Jack. Jack pocketed them, "Sleep well tonight, fellas, your road home will be paved tonight!" The two cheered, things were going swell! They slept soundly that night while Jack's storm froze the sea, paving a way home, like he told them it would. They found that Jack thought of it all, taking their path to islands so they could sleep and find more food, if need be. Their spirits rose with every day that took them closer to Berk, they were that much closer to home. Finally, the day arrived that the cliffs of Berk loomed overhead, though Jack's ice path took them to a lower part of the island so they could climb up easily. It still took some time, but soon they were fast approaching the village, the sun about ready to set. Pure ecstasy at being home filled Hiccup's chest and he pushed forward, faster than even Eret, reaching the council hall before him. He paused for a breath when he reached the doors, the sun going down and taking his bear shape with it. With a grin, Hiccup burst into the hall.

"Mom, Astrid, we're back!" Then he paused and stared in shock at what lay before him, just as Eret joined him.

"Welcome home, boys, we've been expecting you," grinned Frieda as she held a knife to Valka's throat, with a girl who looked to be her daughter holding a knife to Astrid's throat, both women bound and gagged.