Merida woke later than usual the next morning. She'd been up late with her mother and Hiccup. Well, her father had been there, too, but he was asleep through most of it. As soon as Merida and Hiccup had arrived back at the castle they'd been swarmed by her family. Her brothers had quickly latched onto Hiccup's hands and good leg, giggling happily and refusing to let go. Fergus had given the poor boy the mandatory, "You'd better take good care of my daughter." Elinor had simply given the boy a hug and said, "Welcome to the family."

Soon after though, thinks started to go bad. Merida should have seen it coming, but she'd been temporarily blinded by her bliss. But of course, Elinor had jumped directly into wedding planner mode.

Hamish, Hubert, and Harris, immediately detached themselves from Hiccup and ran off. Fergus attempted do the same, but Elinor simply grabbed him by the ear and marched over to the long table in the middle of the room.

Elinor reasoned that the wedding should be help in DunBroch, because not only did Merida's family have to invite the other three clans, but it was much easier for the Vikings to travel because they had dragons.

The queen figured that for the wedding, Hiccup could wear traditional Viking garb. Merida, on the other hand would wear a dress specifically made for the occasion. Elinor summoned a maid who fetched a piece of paper from the queen's chambers. Elinor carefully unfolded it and spread it out on the table. It displayed a carefully drawn design of a wedding dress.

"What's that?" Merida muttered, peering a tiny bit of writing in the bottom corner. She raised herself up and squinted at it, letting out a gasp. "That's a date! Ye've had this drawn up since I was two!" She gaped at her mother, who simply smoothed a wrinkle in the paper.

"I just wanted to be prepared, Merida."

Merida groaned dramatically and slumped in her chair. Hiccup rolled his eyes with a smile and took her hand under the table, making her blush.

Once the torture was over for the night, Merida trudged up to her room, shoulders hunched forward and head hanging low.

"Are you alright?" Hiccup asked as she was opening her bedroom door. She felt his fingers wrap around her thin arm and she sighed. Merida turned around to her fiancé's worried face.

"I'm fine," she said, giving what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's just that she'd only going ta get worse." She gestured hopelessly towards the staircase. "And I'm tired of it already."

Hiccup smiled at her. His hand slipped down her arm to her hand and their fingers twined together. "I guess now would be a pretty good time to mention that my dad wants me to bring you to Berk."

Merida's eyes widened. "That would be perfect!" she cried. "I would finally get ta see Berk and I'd get ta get away fer a while!" She laughed, leaping forward to wrap her arms around Hiccup's neck.

Hiccup smiled and hugged her back. "All right. Get to bed then, it's an all-day flight to Berk." He kissed her curly hair opened the door to hold it for her. "Good night, Merida."

"G'night, Hiccup," she replied. She raised herself up to peck him on the lips as she passed, making him blush.

So now it was morning, and Merida was getting dressed. She put on her usual green dress and started down the hall towards the stairs. At the top of the staircase, she could hear voices down in the great hall.

Merida froze when she realized who the voices belonged to. "Oooh, no," she sighed. She hurried down the stairs.

Just as she'd suspected, there were visitors in the hall. At the head of the table, her mother, father, and brothers were sitting with the three lords, Macintosh, Dingwall, and McGuffin. At the other end, her poor Hiccup was being forced to breakfast with the younger lords.

Young Macintosh was standing on the bench with one foot on the table, slashing his arm through the air as if he had a sword. McGuffin was listening with rapt attention, while Dingwall just looked bored out of his wits. Well, what wits he had, anyway. Hiccup had his back to Merida, but she could just imagine how uncomfortable he was.

Knowing her parents, they'd introduced Hiccup as Merida's "friend" so as not to have a brawl over breakfast. And knowing Hiccup, he'd been too polite to correct them.

Elinor looked up from her eggs to see Merida standing at the bottom of the steps. "Good morning dear," she called out. All talking ceased. Macintosh halted his re-enactment with his arm still raised. Hiccup swiveled to look at her and she could see his face relax in relief. "Come say hello," Elinor beckoned. She waved Merida over with her fork.

"Good morning, Mum," Merida said, bending to kiss her mother's cheek. "Daddy." She kissed him, too, and then turned to the lords. "It's nice to see you again, gentlemen."

"Princess," they said together, bowing their heads.

Merida nodded back and hurried down the table. She approached the younger lords on the side opposite Hiccup. "Hello, boys," she greeted. She gave them her usual cordial smile and sidestepped Wee Dingwall's attempt to kiss her hand. Young Macintosh leapt down from the table to block her path.

"M'lady," he said, giving a deep bow. "What a pleasure it must be to be in my presence."

Merida winced at his arrogance. "Of course, Dallan," she said, patting him on the shoulder before she continued on.

Young McGuffin was sitting at the foot of the table, smiling timidly. "Hello, Riley," she said, giving him a genuine smile of her own. He was by far the nicest out of the boys, and Merida's favorite. If she hadn't met Hiccup and it had come instead to choosing one of the young lords she probably would have chosen him.

"Mornin'," he said, easily understood for once.

Merida walked around behind him and over to Hiccup. They didn't greet each other, only smiled. "I am so sorry," Merida whispered as she passed. She trailed her hand along his shoulders, brushing the back of his neck with her fingertips. She took a seat next to him, and the boy had enough sense not to hold her hand. Someone would have noticed.

"I didn't know you boys were coming for a visit," Merida said.

"Our messenger was waylaid," Dallan said as he reclaimed his seat.

"I see," she said. A servant came and set a plate in front of her. She picked up the fork and poked at the food but couldn't bring herself to eat it.

"You okay?" Hiccup murmured, looking over at her.

Merida nodded so as not to raise suspicion, but Hiccup could tell she was lying. He didn't say anything though.

"Merida," Elinor called down the table. "Isn't there something you need to tell us."

"Actually, Mother, I think it would be better if you delivered the news," Merida said. 'Please, please don't make me do this.' she thought, hoping her mother could read her expression.

Elinor sighed and delicately set down the fork. "Very well. Gentlemen," everyone at the table had their eyes on her.

Hiccup took Merida's hand under the table. 'Here it comes' she thought.

"My daughter has chosen a young man to be her husband and is ready for marriage," Elinor said.

'Well, I didn't expect it ta come quite like that,' Merida thought, surprised. She and Hiccup looked at each other. He was obviously equally surprised.

"What now?" Hiccup mouthed. Merida shrugged and turned back to the table to find that everyone was looking at her.

"It would be appropriate for you to tell them who you've chosen," Elinor urged. She gave Merida a cold look that clearly meant that she should do as she was told.

"Oh." Merida looked at the young lords, who all smiled back expectantly. "Well, I chose Hiccup," she said, with sideways nod at him. He raised one hand to wave and gave a half smile.

The entire room was as silent as if everyone had dropped dead. There wasn't even any noise coming from outside. Everyone just stared at Merida and Hiccup, who stared right back at them. They were squeezing each other's hands so tightly that neither of them had any blood going to their fingers.

"Guys?" Merida said cautiously.

That did it. Wee Dingwall let out a barbaric roar and leapt across the table, straight for Hiccup. He slammed into Hiccup and they both fell backwards over the bench, toppling it and taking Merida with them.

"Neason, stop!" Merida shouted. She scrambled across the floor to try and pry the crazed boy off of her fiancé.

Hiccup was desperately trying to shove Neason away, but even though the Scot was smaller, he had gone completely berserk and was clawing savagely at Hiccup's face and neck, trying to kill him.

There was a screech, and suddenly Neason was gone and the door to the great hall was wide open.

"Toothless, no!" Hiccup cried, but he couldn't get up. His drink had spilled in the commotion and his prosthetic couldn't find any purchase on the wet stones.

Toothless had Neason pinned under his front paws and was growling at him, fire already building in his throat. Neason was sobbing like a child, begging for someone to help him. The other lords already had their weapons drawn and were cautiously advancing on the dragon.

"Don't!" Merida warned. She leapt away from Hiccup, who was no longer the primary concern. She stood between Toothless and the lords, her arms spread. "You'll only make in worse." She turned to Toothless and gently put her hand on his head. "Toothless," she whispered soothingly. "It's alright big guy. Hiccup is alright, look."

Toothless turned to look at his master. Fergus had helped the boy up and he was now leaning against the table. There was a scratch from his left temple down to his chin and it was bleeding slightly but other than that he was unharmed.

"See," Merida said. She stroked Toothless' head. "Nothing to worry about. Now why don't you let our friend Neason go. He won't be a threat anymore. I think you've scared him."

Neason whimpered and nodded rapidly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Merida silenced him with a harsh glare.

"Come on, bud," Hiccup said. He held his hand out to Toothless. "I'm fine. Just let him go."

Slowly, Toothless backed away. She slithered over to Hiccup and stood protectively at his side.

Merida helped Neason to his feet. "Are you alright?" she asked. He just shrieked and ran over to his father. The others gaped, their eyes shifting from Merida to Hiccup and Toothless and back again. "I'm-I'm sorry," Merida said. No one responded.

"Merida…" Hiccup said, taking a step towards her. She held out her hand to stop him.

"Mum, Dad, I'm going to Berk with Hiccup. I think that's what's best. I'll be back in a few days." She turned to the lords. "I am so sorry that you wasted your time on me," she said. "And I'm sorry you almost got hurt, Neason." She walked over to Hiccup. She stood on her tip-toes and whispered, "Go wait for me in the forest, where we met last night."

"Alright," he whispered back. He gave her a one armed hug and then turned and walked out, Toothless on his heels.

Merida left the great hall without a word.

She found her brothers at the top of the stairs, quivering with fear. Of course they'd met Toothless before, even touched him, but they'd never seen him attack.

"It's alright, boys," Merida reassured them. "Toothless was just worried about Hiccup." She got down on her knees and wrapped all three of them in her arms. "I'm going away for a while. Only a few days. You be good for Mummy and Dad while I'm gone."

"You're coming back to us right, Merida?" Hamish said, surprising her. The triplets hardly ever spoke. They preferred to express what they were thinking through their actions.

"Of course," she said. "But you know that once Hiccup and I are married I'll have to go live on Berk."

Hubert spoke then. "You'll come visit though, won't you?"

"Yes, but I won't always be around to keep you from getting in trouble. You might have to grow up a little bit. Be more responsible. Do you think you can do that for me?" She smiled hopefully at them.

Harris nodded with tears in his eyes. "Just promise you won't forget about us."

Merida started crying, too. "I could never forget about you. We're family, and we'll always be there for each other, no matter how far apart we are."

All three boys wrapped their arms around her. She hugged them back and sniffed away her tears. "Alright," she declared, pulling away. "Do you want to help me pack?"

The triplets nodded, there brief period of speech over. They ran down the hall towards her room, tripping and shoving each other as they went.

Merida laughed as she rose and followed them. "That's my boys."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

When she was done packing and had said goodbye to her brothers, Merida headed back down to the great hall to leave. She had her bow across her chest and a quiver full of arrows hanging from her belt. She carried a sack with some clothes in it, just a few simple dresses and underclothes. Unfortunately, her mother was waiting for her.

Elinor was standing at the head of the table, her arms crossed over her chest. Merida flinched under her cold glare, knowing that there was no way she could escape.

Merida walked up to her mother and dropped her bag at her feet.

"I don't want you going to Berk. Not on that beast."

"It was an accident, Mum," Merida replied calmly. "He was just trying to protect Hiccup."

"He nearly killed Neason!" Elinor cried.

"Neason shouldn't 've attacked Hiccup!" Merida shouted back. "Toothless would never hurt me. Did you see the way he calmed down when I was talking to him? He trusts me, Mum."

Elinor sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "He's a wild animal, Merida. They can't be controlled."

"Toothless is a good dragon," Merida said. "And besides, Hiccup would never let him hurt me. Never."

Elinor stared hard at her. Merida squared her shoulders and stared right back.

"Alright," Elinor sighed. "Be back by the end of the week." She spread her arms for a hug and Merida obliged. "Your father is down at the docks trying to smooth things over with the lords. You should say goodbye."

Merida nodded and kissed her mother's cheek. "Alright. I love you, Mum. I'll be back." She picked up her bag and left, waving as she went.

Merida hurried out of the castle and towards the docks. She didn't want to keep Hiccup waiting too long. She was almost at the pier when she literally ran into her father.

"Oi!" he cried. "Sorry, dear."

"I- I just wanted to come say goodbye. I'll be home by the end of the week," Merida said.

Fergus looked down at his daughter. Her fiery hair was in a cloud around her face, making her blue eyes pop. "Please be careful, sweetheart." He pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest.

"I love you, Dad," she choked, unable to breathe with her face pressed into her father's chest.

"I love you, too." He released her and gave her shoulder a squeeze with his meaty hand. "Do you want me ta walk ya to the forest edge?"

"Nah, I'll be alright. Thanks though, Dad." She smiled and blew a kiss, then was on her way again.

Merida walked to the tree line, then looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching before she took off at full speed. She crashed through the underbrush, hoping that no wild animals were out looking for lunch. Once she tripped and her sleeve snagged on a branch as she went down. The fabric tore and she cursed, but got right back up and started running again.

She stumbled into the clearing in much the same manner she had the night before. Hiccup was leaning against a tree and watching Toothless catching fish after fish, fueling up for the flight back to Berk. Hiccup turned when she crashed through the bushes and fell to her knees, cursing again. He dashed over and helped her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry for what happened back there," he said.

"No, I'm sorry Neason was trying ta kill you. He deserved that. Trust me," Merida said. She pushed her curls out of her face and smiled at him. "And I bet it was fun. Right, Toothless?" she called, looking past Hiccup.

Toothless swallowed a fish and grunted his agreement.

"Alright," Hiccup assented. He pulled Merida in for a hug and felt something hot and sticky on her arm. "You're bleeding!" he cried.

"Huh?" Merida looked down at the tear in her sleeve and found that there was indeed a deep gash there. She felt lightheaded at the sight. Merida really hated blood, especially her own. She swayed a little bit and found herself leaning heavily on Hiccup. "It's n-nothing," she stammered, still unable to look without feeling faint. "Don't worry about it."

"No way," Hiccup said, already leading her towards a rock by the water. "That definitely is not okay." He sat her down on the rock. Toothless came over and was poking at her arm but Hiccup shoved him away. "Take your bow off," he ordered. Merida's hand instinctively moved up to clutch it protectively. "Merida, please," he begged and she handed it over. He took it, her bag, and unclipped her quiver from her belt and set them all on the ground next to her.

"There's a handkerchief in me bag," Merida offered.

Hiccup opened her bag and found the hanky. He dipped it in the crystal clear water of the stream. He knelt on the ground in front of Merida and gingerly wiped away the blood around the wound.

"Yer bleedin', too," Merida said softly. She drew her finger down the scrape on his cheek.

"It's not really bleeding anymore," Hiccup corrected, eyes still trained on her arm. "I wiped it off when I got here. It's just healing now." Merida nodded understanding.

"There," Hiccup said a moment later. "All clean." He swished the handkerchief in the water to rinse the blood out. When it was white again he set it on the rock next to her. Then he reached up with his right hand and grabbed his left sleeve at the shoulder. He yanked hard and the fabric ripped apart.

"Hiccup!" Merida exclaimed.

"Calm down," he said with a small smile. "I'll be fine. You're the one with the bloody gash in your arm." He ripped his sleeve into one long strip and wrapped it tightly around her arm, tying it into place. "Better?" Hiccup asked her.

"Much, thanks," she replied. She ducked her head and blushed. She was embarrassed that he had to take care of her just because blood made her a little weak in the knees.

He raised himself up and kissed the tip of her nose. "Good," he smiled. She only blushed redder. He laughed and swept her up in his arms. He had one arm behind her shoulders and the other under her knees.

Merida screamed. "Hiccup! What're you doin'?"

"I am saving a damsel in distress."

Merida punched his shoulder. "I am not a damsel in distress," she informed him. "And I don't need ta be saved. I'm just not fond of blood." She wrapped her arms around his neck though, because she didn't want him to put her down.

"I know, I was just teasing," he laughed. He kissed her on the lips, clutching her close. "I just like to see you blush."

That, of course, made her blush. To distract Hiccup from that fact, she kissed him again.

"Now we match," she said, patting his scarlet cheek.

"Alright, alright," he sighed. He gently set her on her feet and called Toothless over. Her unclipped his harness from the saddle and wriggled into it.

"You ready?" he asked.

She slipped her bow back over her head, her quiver to her belt, and picked up her bag. "Let's go."

Hiccup jumped up on to Toothless' back and hooked himself in. He held his hand out to Merida and pulled her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as tight as she could.

"You don't have to hold on so tight," he said. "We'd never let you fall."

"I know," Merida said. She rested her chin on his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"Okay then," he clicked his foot into the pedal and opened the tail fin. "Let's go then Toothless."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Berk came into view well after midnight. The torches were lit in the streets and a few windows, but there was no movement. Still, the view from the back of a dragon was one of a kind.

"Merida, look," Hiccup said, to no response. He glanced over to find that she was asleep with her head on his shoulder. "Merida, wake up," he said, shaking his shoulder a bit to rouse her.

"Huh?" Merida gasped. Her head snapped up and she wiped at the corner of her mouth. "What is it?"

"Look, we're here."

Merida rubbed the sleep from her eyes and gazed down at the firelight sparkling off of the water.

"Oh my…" she gasped. "Hiccup, this is amazing." She pushed up on his shoulders to stand on her knees.

"Be careful," he warned but she shushed him.

She let out a sigh. "This is beautiful."

"I know," Hiccup agreed. "Take it in while you can. It's not so nice up close."

Toothless spiraled slowly towards the ground. He touched down in the square and trotted a few steps to slow down. Hiccup unhooked his harness from the saddle and slipped down. He held his arms out to Merida and she hopped down.

"Ready to meet my dad?" Hiccup asked.

"Can't wait," Merida grinned.

Hiccup took her bag from her and led her up the hill. They got to the door and all three stood staring at the line of light beneath it.

Merida took Hiccup's hand. "Well open the door," she whispered, nodding to said door."

Hiccup took a deep breath and pushed it open. He stepped inside, but held his hand out to Merida, signaling that she should stay where he was. "Hey, Dad," he said.

Stoick looked up from the paper he was reading. An overjoyed smile split his face. "Hiccup, yer home!" he cried. He rose from his seat.

"Yeah, and there's someone I want you to meet." He turned and motioned out the door.

Merida stepped across the threshold, Hiccup's hand clutched tightly in hers. "Hello, sir."

Stoick took in the girl. Her hair was all blown straight back from flying so long and it was a shade of red that you just couldn't find on Berk. Her arm was bandaged with Hiccup's sleeve. She had a bow across her chest and a quiver at her hip.

Stoick walked across the room and over to Merida. He took one of her dainty hands between his giant ones. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Merida."

Alright, funny author's note. My mom bought the Avengers at the store and she got a box of popcorn and a plastic cup with it. She got one with Iron Man for my brother and one with Merida for me. It is a literal Meri-cup. Get it? Like Mericcup? I laughed so hard it was unbelievable and she didn't even know why.

I'm sorry this took so long. School was taking over and then my computer spazzed and Microsoft Word wouldn't open things. I just got it fixed. I hope you're still interested.

The names I used for the suitors were the ones I found for my other Brave fanfic "Names." I didn't feel like typing the titles out again and again so I reused the names.

Alright then, please review!