Author's Note: New Chapter! This is the first of two, because the two preview chapters are in here. There's some new bits, though, mostly at the beginning.
The next morning, just as planned, Merida made an effort to tell Hiccup that he had no idea where she lived. In the halls, she spied the brown-haired boy by his locker. Beside him was another boy with white hair. The latter seemed strangely familiar. Merida rushed up, calling, "Hiccup!" He whirled around in surprise and the white-haired boy smirked at him and said something before turning to leave. Hiccup rolled his eyes at him and turned to face the fast-approaching girl, clearing his throat.
"Yes, Merida?"
"Yesterday, you ran off before I could tell you where I live. So that you know where to find me." She said.
"Oh… right." Hiccup's eyes got big and he scratched his head in embarrassment.
"What were you in such a rush for anyway, Hiccup?" She asked.
"Uh... That's a good question, um…" His eyes wandered about as he tried to think of an acceptable explanation. Merida cocked an eyebrow at him.
"I was late for something back home… Viking stuff." Hiccup answered.
"Okay…" Merida said hesitantly, for she sensed something was off.
"So, er, where do you live?"
"That's right… I live in Scotland, the kingdom of DunBroch. You can't miss the castle." She said.
"Castle? Wait, you live in a castle?" Hiccup questioned in incredulity.
"Of course. Didn't I tell you I'm a princess?" Merida frowned.
"Uh… no…" Hiccup responded, barely keeping his mouth from dropping wide open. Princess?! He thought, breaking into a sweat.
"Huh… Well, you know now, don't you?" Merida shrugged.
"U-uh-huh…" Hiccup managed to utter. The bell for first period rang and Merida's eyes widened for a moment.
"Oh! I guess I'll see you later, Hiccup." She waved and then walked off. Hiccup merely nodded. He turned, making his way to his class. He ran a hand across his face, letting out a huge breath. "A princess… She's a princess!" Hiccup muttered to himself in disbelief.
Later on, Jack was on his way to lunch and encountered Rapunzel in the halls. She stood beside Flynn at his locker when the sight of Jack caught her eye. "Hey, just a second." She put up one finger and then caught up to Jack. "Hi!" She smiled brightly and he stopped to turn and face her with an equally bright grin.
"Hey."
"Ok, I figured out a good time for you to come by. How's seven?" She asked. Jack had quite a few responsibilities after school: as a student, he had homework, as a winter spirit he spread the winter weather, and as a guardian, he protected the children of the world. The last two responsibilities being most important to him. But when Rapunzel looked at him with big hopeful eyes and a matching smile, he didn't hesitate to say,
"Sounds good to me."
"Great!" Her smile grew wider and then she put up a hand as farewell, "I'll see you tonight." Rapunzel returned to the tall brown-haired student by his locker. Jack groaned under his breath at the sight and twisted forward, on his way to the cafeteria.
Hiccup was gone for most of the lunch period, spending most of his time in the library searching for a book on animation. In his absence, Jack wandered outside, occupying himself with poking trees and bushes, laying out the first traces of winter.
The last hour of school passed and the students started to exit the school. Four particular students headed home, though, with a growing sense of anticipation.
Rapunzel finished readying the tower. She swept up the floors one final time (and the umpteenth time) and Pascal took care of the dust in the hard to reach places. It was the very first time she was expecting company after all; she had to make an impression. Finally, Rapunzel placed the broom against the wall, wiping sweat from her brow. She turned to Pascal, who was just emerging from a little corner. "Well, it's been an hour, Pascal… Does everything look ready?" Rapunzel questioned him.
Pascal nodded a look of certainty on his little face. Rapunzel smiled, anticipation overwhelming her. She glanced at the clock; its hands ticked closer to the 12. Seven o'clock. The time that had been chosen for his arrival. "He should be here any minute." Rapunzel exhaled and opened the window that looked out onto the calm evening. She breathed in the cool, night air and then let it out. Her eyes became downcast as she peered out at the earth far below. Pascal appeared beside her on the windowsill and nudged her. She smiled at him sadly before she realized what the little chameleon was doing. His eyes gestured to the sky and she followed his gaze. A speck appeared far off, just in line of eyesight, but grew bigger and more identifiable. It was boy, soaring through the air, and then plummeting down toward the tower. "There he is. Jack!" Rapunzel shouted, cupping her hands over her mouth. She waved.
Within seconds he was at her window, feet perched on the sill. "Hey." He greeted, not at all out of breath from his speedy flight.
"Come in." She spoke, trying to take on the persona of a good hostess. Rapunzel took a few spaces back, giving him room to enter. He did and as soon as his feet touched the floor, the temperature of the room lowered several degrees. Pascal began to shiver and snuggled up to the girl, trying to share the warmth of her pink hoodie. She peeked up at him and Jack quickly realized.
"Sorry." He apologized sheepishly.
"It's, uh, it's fine." She said, and then cleared her throat, "So, this is my home." She held out her arms.
Jack looked about the main room. "It's, um, a little old-fashioned, don't you think?"
"Yeah… it's sort of been around for a long time…" Rapunzel answered. Jack nodded, and then noticed the abundance of paintings along the walls.
"That's pretty cool, though." With his finger, he traced in the air along the different pieces of art.
"Oh, that." Rapunzel giggled nervously. "Actually, I did all those."
Jack's eyes widened and he turned to the girl, "You paint? I didn't know you were into art."
Rapunzel bobbed her head, "Yeah. It's just… something I do to pass the time, I guess." Her gaze averted to the ground.
"You must have a lot of time on your hands, then…" Jack spoke, further inspecting the paintings.
Rapunzel nodded again, though more lightly this time. "Yeah, you could say that." She mumbled. After a couple of moments she announced, "We'll be working in my room upstairs." She turned and gestured toward the staircase. Jack furrowed his eyebrows, curious about her changing the subject, but dismissed it. He followed the girl up the steps, carefully walking around her flowing locks of golden hair. At the top, Rapunzel pushed past deep violet curtains into the next room. Jack quickly entered after. Inside was her bedroom, elegant and feminine as he expected. A large, purple canopy was on one side of the room and there was a vanity nearby. Some paintings similar to the ones downstairs were scattered here and there. "Over here." Rapunzel said and walked toward a bookshelf along the wall.
She plucked a rather thick volume off of the shelf and held it up for Jack to see. It read, The History of Animation. "This ought to take care of pretty much the whole project."
"And… you just happen to have that book lying around at your house?" He raised an eyebrow.
Rapunzel chuckled nervously, "No, actually Mother brought it to me."
"Your mom? Why didn't you just get it yourself?" Jack asked.
Upon hearing this, Rapunzel tensed up. Nonetheless, she answered, "Um… she says the library is pretty far from here and doesn't want me going all the way there…"
"Why? You're 18, right?" Jack further questioned.
"Well, yeah, but…. never mind." Rapunzel shook her head and exhaled, putting on a faint smile, "We should get started, don't you think?"
"Sure, but…" The winter spirit began, however Rapunzel made it quite clear that she'd dropped the subject and was expecting him to as well. "Yeah, let's, uh, let's do it." He offered a grin and she returned it with a satisfied smile, dropping onto her bed. Rapunzel laid down the book and patted at the spot beside her. He came forward and sat down putting down his staff, looking over the book. He opened it and began flipping through; at the very end, in the bottom left corner read the page number. "450 pages… yikes…" He groaned. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack caught a glimpse of something green dart from Rapunzel's shoulder into the pocket of her hoodie. Startled, he let out a "Whoa!" which in turn surprised Rapunzel.
"What?" She asked, her eyes growing big.
"Something just… just ran down your shirt and, and…" He found himself at a loss for words.
"Oh." Rapunzel laughed, relaxing. "That's only Pascal." She pulled the entrance of the pocket open wider, so that the little creature could be seen. He had his arms wrapped around himself for comfort, snuggled in the deepest crevice of the hoodie's fabric. Rapunzel attempted to coax him out, "Come on out, Pascal. It's okay." The animal stared at Rapunzel, next Jack and then shook his head fervently, going further into her pocket. Rapunzel exhaled, saying playfully, "Alright, have it your way, then." She let go of her hoodie, and Pascal disappeared out of sight.
"So, why exactly do you have a pet chameleon?" Jack questioned.
"Well, he's more of a friend than a pet." Rapunzel turned to face him. "Pascal keeps me company while Mother's away." She explained.
"You don't ever have friends from school over?" Jack asked. Rapunzel shook her head, a sheepish smile on her face. "Not even Flynn?" He tried to hide the venom that seeped from his lips as he spoke the name of Rapunzel's boyfriend. Once again, Rapunzel shook her head.
"You're actually the first person I've ever invited here, Jack." Rapunzel revealed. His eyes widened in disbelief at this discovery.
"Wow… why?" He asked, genuinely concerned. The blonde-haired girl bit her lip, avoiding Jack's gaze. Her fingers found a lock of her hair and began playing with it absent-mindedly.
Finally, she spoke and as she did, Pascal poked his head out of her pocket, surprised that she was about to confess, "The truth is-"
She was interrupted by a loud, shrill and sing-song voice, "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" Rapunzel's eyes grew as wide as saucers as the girl stiffened where she sat.
And then in disbelief, she said, "Mother?!" Jack's eyes got a little big, too. "She's not supposed to be home for at least another hour!" Rapunzel began to panic. After another few moments, the voice yelled again. Rapunzel stood from her bed, stumbling for the curtains. She pulled them apart and shouted, "Coming, Mother!" She then turned to Jack. "Wait in here." And then she disappeared, her hair trailing behind her.
Jack stayed inside her room as told. He leafed through the pages of the book for a little while, scanning over pictures of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Then, Jack heard voices and his attention left the book. He heard what sounded like Rapunzel's mother talking about her long tiring day and doting on her daughter. Curiosity got the best of him and he made his way to the curtains, peeking through them.
"Rapunzel, be a dear and sing to me, please?" A woman who appeared to be Rapunzel's mother spoke, holding a brush in her hands. She seemed to be a little past middle aged, for she had some gray hairs and slightly wrinkled skin.
"Uh, sure, Mother." Rapunzel agreed, pulling out a wooden chair. Jack cocked an eyebrow. Sing to her? He thought. Over the years, he'd seen little girls request their mothers to sing for them instead of the other way around. He continued to watch as Rapunzel sat down in the chair, allowing her mother to take a hold of her hair. And then she began to sing.
"Flower, gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
Heal what has been hurt
Change the fate's design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine…"
Jack's eyes grew large as he saw what unfolded. The short, simple verse that Rapunzel sang was quite literally, magical. Rapunzel's hair golden hair began to glow as she sang, shining as bright as the sun and illuminating the room. And then he looked to the girl's mom, who seemed perfectly calm, but slowly changing. One by one the gray hairs in her head began to turn as black as the rest of her hair; the wrinkles along her flesh began to disappear. Rapunzel's light, airy voice diminished into quietness and her mother withdrew her hand and the brush from the girl. She let out a refreshed sigh and patted Rapunzel's shoulder, "Thank you, Rapunzel."
"It's no problem." She responded modestly and stood from the chair.
"Now, I think I'm ready to start up dinner. Should be ready in a little bit." She said and then went into the kitchen.
"Ok." Rapunzel smiled until she could no longer see her mom. Then she quickly turned on her heel and headed upstairs.
Jack backed up and positioned himself on her bed, pretending to be occupied with the animation book. "I'm back." Rapunzel huffed. Jack waved nonchalantly in return. Rapunzel let out a breath of air and plopped down on the mattress. Then she eyed Jack suspiciously, "Did you hear any of that?"
He tried to keep a straight face, but as he met her gaze, his lips cracked into an ashamed grin. "Sorry."
Rapunzel groaned and asked with worry, "How much did you hear?"
"Um… all of it, I guess." Jack admitted. He watched as her face fell and he started to feel a little guilty for listening in on the events downstairs.
"You're probably wanting an explanation, then?" She asked.
"That'd be helpful." Jack uttered. Rapunzel took in a big breath and then exhaled. She began where she did when she'd been interrupted.
"The truth is I have magical hair and it, well, when I sing it glows." As she finished her sentence, her face quite obviously showed she expected Jack to give her a funny look.
"Yeah, I saw that." Jack responded.
"Yeah, so- wait! You saw what happened?" Rapunzel inquired.
A shamefaced grin split across his face like before. "Yes."
Rapunzel's expression grew somber, "I'm betting you think I'm some sort of freak, now, right?" She turned away from him.
"You'd lose that bet." Jack chuckled, good-naturedly. Surprised by this statement, she faced him again, and then a small smile formed upon her lips.
"What makes you say that, Jack?" She cocked her head to the side, eyeing him with interest.
"Trust me, Rapunzel. I spent 300 years feeling the way you do and… well, long story short I know you're not a freak. If anything you're…" He stopped himself, realizing what he was about to say.
"I'm what?" Rapunzel, grinning good-naturedly, pushed for him to continue. Jack gulped and gathered to courage to finish his sentence. Suddenly, the purple curtains to Rapunzel's room parted and her mother appeared in the entrance. Rapunzel blinked looking to her and Jack slightly tensed. The dark-haired lady entered, asking,
"Rapunzel, have you seen the frying pan? I can't find it?" She didn't even glance at Jack. He calmed down; the lady could not see him as he expected.
Rapunzel looked to Jack, then stood from the bed, "I'm sorry, Mother. I was… borrowing it." She apologized and dug into her nearby backpack, pulling out the cooking utensil. She turned and handed it over. Her mom eyed her daughter strangely,
"What were you doing with this?"
"Uh, I bring it to school with me in case, you know, I run into ruffians, thugs, men with pointy teeth, etcetera, etcetera…" As she went on, her voice decreased in volume.
"You're mumbling." The woman eyed Rapunzel sternly as she took the pan into her hands.
As Rapunzel enunciated, Jack watched on, looking over the lady with an immediate sense of dislike. Rapunzel's mom smiled upon hearing her daughter's answer and patted the teenager's head. "Good girl." Then her hands wrapped around herself and she shivered. "Why is it so cold in here, Rapunzel?"
Rapunzel peered over at Jack and he snickered at the lady's discomfort. "Well, it is getting close to winter." She offered lamely.
"Might have to invest into those air-conditioning systems…" Rapunzel's mother said in response. "Well, dinner will be ready very soon. Start washing up, ok?" Rapunzel bobbed her head and saw the woman brush past the purple curtains. She twirled around to face Jack once more.
Pascal peeked out of Rapunzel's pocket as his friend approached the winter spirit once more. "So… what were we talking about?" When he heard this, Jack took the opportunity to chicken out from what he was going to say earlier.
"You were explaining your magic hair."
"Right." Rapunzel sat down again. "My hair… it's really special. Something plenty of people would love to get their hands on." Jack thought back to the previous scene he'd witnessed. How Rapunzel's mother had appeared to have gotten younger when the golden locks glowed. What Rapunzel said was definitely true.
"Mother tells me that I stay here because it's the only way I'll be safe from people like that." Rapunzel said. Jack nodded to show he was listening, but he was starting to catch on to something. "So you have to promise not to tell anybody." She spoke with complete seriousness, leaning in close.
"Sure, no, yeah…. Yeah, I promise." Jack agreed, bobbing his head, a bit taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. Then he said, "Nobody else knows about your hair?"
"No." Rapunzel said.
"Not even Flynn?" He further questioned, the previous query popping up again.
"Nope." Jack contemplated this.
Then Rapunzel looked him dead in the eye and said, "Jack, every day I go to school and come straight home. On weekends, I'm just here."
Jack returned her gaze with wide eyes. "Are… are you serious? Man… Rapunzel, I can't believe… there is so much you haven't seen…"
"I know." She said, solemnly.
"No… you don't know what you're missing!" Jack stood impulsively, grabbing his staff. "I've got lots to show you," He grabbed her hand, pulling her off the bed. Rapunzel gasped lightly, a shock of cold running through her skin.
"What? But, Jack-" She started as she was led to a nearby window. And then the sound of Mother's voice was heard once more.
"Rapunzel! Dinner time!"
Jack stopped and looked in the direction of the curtains. Rapunzel withdrew her hand from his, "Mother's expecting me…" A wave of disappointment washed over Jack and it was apparent on his face.
"Maybe some other time, though… I'd be more than happy to go." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. A little smile crossed his lips as he looked Rapunzel in her green eyes.
"Rapunzel! Your food is going to get cold!" Another call sounded.
"Coming!" Rapunzel responded over her shoulder. Her hand slipped off of Jack's shoulder and he said,
"I'd better be heading home, anyways…" Jack shrugged. The two headed down the steps.
At the window that led outside, Jack stood on the windowsill. "We didn't get any work done." Rapunzel realized.
Jack laughed, "Well, then I guess that means I'll be coming over again."
Rapunzel grinned, "I guess it does..." Jack took a step back closer to the edge of the sill and placed his hand against the side of one of the window's doors.
"I'm holding you to that offer. You're gonna see the world, Rapunzel."
Rapunzel only smiled, "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
Jack waved and then turned to the sky, "Hey! Wind! Take me home!" He shouted. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew past and Jack flew off the windowsill. Rapunzel gasped, peering outside of the window. She caught a glimpse of him to her right and then saw him rise up higher and higher until he was by the moon; a small spot of light flying across the sky like a shooting star. Rapunzel sighed in wonder and Pascal made his way back to her shoulder, watching until Jack disappeared out of sight.
"Rapunzel? What are you doing? I told you dinner is ready." The raven-haired lady appeared at the kitchen entrance.
"Oh. Right. I was just… looking outside…"
"Well, close the window… no wonder it was so cold in here…" She said. Rapunzel obeyed and gave one last look at the sky before swinging the wooden doors together and joining her mother for supper.
Darkness fell over the stone castle nestled in the Scottish highlands; a quiet evening passed for the royal family of DunBroch. The king and queen were occupied with their responsibilities as rulers of the kingdom, the princes- triplets- were off somewhere probably up to no good and the princess was in her bedroom, waiting for her guest to arrive.
Merida examined her bow in the firelight that illuminated the room. "Hm…" She squinted at the wood and then grabbed a small carving knife off of the nearby table. The princess set to carefully embedding an image into the object when there was a banging at the door downstairs. She looked in that stopped what she was doing and looked to the direction of the door. "He's here." Merida said to herself. She stood to her feet and placed the knife and bow down. Before taking one last look at it, she departed her room and headed downstairs.
She heaved the huge doors to the castle open to and there was her classmate standing before her; he held a large, old book under his arm. "Hiccup." Merida spoke out, hands to still holding either door open.
"Hey, Merida." The boy held up his hand as a greeting.
"Welcome." Merida let go of the doors and stood to the side for Hiccup to enter.
"Thanks." Said Hiccup as he came inside. He took in the sight of the ancient throne room and his eyes widened in amazement, "Wow." Merida shut the doors and caught up to Hiccup.
"M-hm. This is my home." She followed his gaze.
"I swear my house is like a shack compared to all of, all of this." He muttered to himself.
"All of this? Hiccup, you haven't seen anything yet." Merida had heard his statement.
"Haven't I? Well then, I guess the mile and a half I had to walk to the front door- plus the five minute journey through the halls doesn't count."
"No." Merida shook her head, smirking a bit. Hiccup rolled his eyes and Merida giggled before they looked to the stairwell where Merida's mother appeared.
"Merida? What are you doing down there? Who's that wee lad beside you?" She spoke as she descended the steps. Hiccup winced slightly upon hearing her refer to him as a 'wee lad'. The queen finally reached the two teenagers and eyed the boy curiously. Merida quickly realized why.
"Mum, this is my classmate, Hiccup." She hastily cleared things up. "We're paired up to work on a project together for school."
"Oh?" The queen's disappointment was hidden when she managed to stifle a giggle as she heard the boy's name. "I'm Elinor, Merida's mother." She introduced herself.
"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Hiccup said and then bowed, albeit awkwardly.
"Likewise." Elinor responded, graciously, pleased by his politeness. She eyed Merida, looked to Hiccup and then back to Merida. "Such manners. One doesn't find young men like you very often these days." She complimented, glancing at Merida again. Hiccup grinned bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. Merida just looked at her mother incredulously. "Would you like a spot of tea, Hiccup?" She offered.
"We've got a lot of work to do, mom. No time to waste on snacks and such." Merida cut in, hoping to get out of the situation.
"Merida, do not speak out of turn. I was addressing Hiccup." Elinor scolded her daughter mildly, before turning her attention back to Hiccup.
"No thanks, I'm not really a tea sort of guy…" Hiccup declined respectfully and Merida sighed gratefully.
"Oh… alright then." The queen cleared her throat. "Well, you two can be off, I suppose."
Merida bobbed her head and made her way to the stairs. "Let's go, Hiccup." She gestured to the steps.
"Yeah. Right. Uh… again, it was nice meeting you." He spoke to the queen and the simply nodded and watched the two off.
Merida closed the door behind the two and exhaled in relief. "So, then." She turned to her classmate. Hiccup dropped his heavy book onto the nearby table and it landed with a thunk!
"What's that?" She eyed it curiously, and pulled out a chair, sitting down.
"Book on the history of animation. I brought it for the project." He replied, sitting down as well.
"Oh, that's right." She scooted the wooden chair closer to Hiccup. "Here, let me see." She leaned over to get a better view. Hiccup moved over a little, blowing away the hair of hers that got in his face. Merida noticed and sheepishly apologized, "Sorry." She pushed a mass of her curly locks out of the way.
"It's fine." Hiccup responded and opened the book. Merida held out her hand and flipped to the title page, which read 'Animation as a Whole: From 20th century to Now: Volume 5'. She flipped to the table of contents. "Twenty Two chapters in all…" She spoke aloud.
"We've got till spring to do this… that's around four months, so… a chapter a day, maybe?" He looked to her.
"Fair enough, I guess. Let's get started." Merida said and thumbed through the pages until she reached chapter one. She looked at the small print that took almost the entire page, save for an image at the bottom. "Do you want to read aloud, Hiccup?"
"Uh… yeah, sure." Hiccup replied and bent down over the book. "Animation began with simple drawings on paper…" He began.
When they were through reading the chapter, Hiccup brought out the project guidelines and directions, which he'd tucked into the back of the history book. "At this point, I think we can start on the first task, right?" he looked at Merida. She eyed over the words.
"The first step to animation is the pictures themselves. The first task of this project is to… draw." Merida spoke aloud and slumped in the chair. She wasn't exactly a talented drawer. Beside her, though, Hiccup was pulling a black journal from the pocket of his green hoodie. "What do you have there?" She sat up straighter.
"It's my notebook. Sometimes I sketch things or write stuff down…" Hiccup placed it on the table and began leafing through it to a blank page. He supplied a writing utensil from the pocket and set its point on the paper.
"What are you going to draw?" Merida asked. Hiccup thought for a second.
"I'm not sure yet." He glanced around her for something to catch his interest.
"How about my bow?" Merida asked, pointing to it. Hiccup looked at it and small smile appeared on his face. He nodded and she brought it closer for him to see. Then he began to draw out lines.
As he drew, Hiccup questioned, "What are you doing with a bow, anyway?"
"I'm an archer…" She said. Then her eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask? Should a princess not care for archery… in your opinion?"
Hiccup carefully avoided stepping on a landmine and replied, "No, no. Actually, where I come from, it's perfectly normal for girls to be into archery, fighting… all of that tough stuff."
"Where you come from sounds great, then." Merida commented.
"Try saying that again after spending 16 years there." Hiccup answered. Merida shrugged and then leaned forward. She examined Hiccup's sketch of her bow and her eyes widened in amazement, a smile pulling at her lips.
"You're a fine artist, Hiccup." She praised him and he grinned at the compliment. "Do you take lessons?" She asked.
"Um… no, I just started as a kid and got better as I got older, I guess…" Was his explanation. "What about you? Do you draw?"
"Just a doodle once in a while." She replied as Hiccup finished his drawing of her bow. "Nothing extraordinary… like that." She looked at it. "Can I see what else you've drawn?" Merida asked.
"Uh, sure." He handed over the book, a little uncertainty in his voice. Merida started from the beginning and looked through the pages. She stopped on one particular page and stared at it from a moment. "Is that a dragon, Hiccup?" Merida queried, looking at the reptile's form.
Hiccup replied, "Yeah."
"It's really good. How were you able to put so much detail into it?" She turned to Hiccup. Before he could speak, there was a knocking at Merida's bedroom.
"Merida?" Her mother spoke.
"Come in, Mother." The red-haired girl called, slightly exasperated. The queen entered the room and glanced at Hiccup and her daughter at the table.
"Did the two of you get a lot of work done?" She asked, walking closer. The teenagers nodded in unison. "That's good. Merida, it's time for supper."
"Yes, mum." Merida stood from her chair and Hiccup quickly did so after her.
"I guess I'll, uh, take this as my cue to scram." He said as he gathered his journal and the animation book.
"No, wait, Hiccup. Why don't you stay and have dinner? It's not often that Merida brings home schoolmates." Elinor halted the boy. Merida stood still, turning slightly red at her mother's last statement.
"Well…" Hiccup rubbed his arm, glancing back at Merida. "If Merida wants me to…" Merida groaned lightly under her breath. Of course, he'd leave the decision up to her. The Queen eyed her daughter imploringly and the princess knew she could not refuse.
"Alright. You can eat with us, Hiccup." She said and Elinor smiled with satisfaction.
"The both of you wash up and come to the dining hall. The meal ought to be ready soon." She then departed the room.
"Come on, Hiccup." Merida said.
As the two washed their hands, Merida glanced down at Hiccup's left leg- or rather lack thereof. "Hiccup?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you lose your leg?" Merida looked back up to him.
"Oh, uh… freak accident. Huge fire, near death experience. Um…" Hiccup answered. Merida easily got the sense that certain parts of the story were being left out.
"What got you into a near death experience?"
"Uh…" Hiccup fumbled, trying to figure out where to begin. And then, suddenly, a small bestial cry was heard outside the window.
Merida's eyes got big. "What was that?" She turned to the window.
His eyes huge, too, Hiccup muttered, "Toothless…"
"What?" Merida asked him.
"Nothing." Hiccup quickly responded. Merida was not put at ease by his answer.
"That couldn't have been a bear… or, or… what was that?" She began to move toward the window.
"H-Hold on a second, Merida, uh…" He attempted to stop her, grabbing her wrist.
"We might be in trouble, Hiccup." She said in return, pulling her wrist away and peering out the window.
"But-" Hiccup began, before being hushed by Hiccup.
"Quiet." She whispered and peered out the window, keeping her ears keen. No sound was heard again. Merida withdrew from the window.
"Huh… Let's be off, I guess…" She gave the window one last look before going off. Hiccup followed, sighing in relief.
As they made their way to the dining hall, Hiccup spoke up, "You didn't seem all that happy about me coming to dinner."
Merida looked to him apologetically, "I'm sorry I made it seem that way. I'm just not certain you'll be able to deal with…" They came upon the entrance to the dining hall. Inside were the queen- as well as the burly king and pint-sized princes. "This." She gestured to her family, particularly the men.
"Your family?" He questioned.
"They can be just a wee bit rowdy." Merida explained. The king heard her voice and turned in his chair a bit.
"Merida!" His voice boomed jovially. Then he noticed Hiccup behind her. "Who's that?"
"Fergus, this is our guest, Hiccup." Elinor spoke, calmly.
"Hiccup? Pffft!" He burst into uncontrollable laughter. "That's a great name, that is!" He joked.
"Yeah, I know." Hiccup said, crossing into the room.
"Fergus." Elinor uttered in a warning tone. She gave him a look and he knew to settle down.
"Sorry… Hiccup. It's nice to meet you." He apologized, holding back a chuckle. The boy forgave him, but then nearly tripped over three wooden swords lying haphazardly on the ground. He glanced up to see the three princes smiling innocently at him.
"Boys, when I told you not to keep your weapons on the table, that didn't mean place them on the floor instead." She chastised. The three picked up the swords and placed them at the back of their seats. Hiccup more tentatively made his way to an empty chair and examined the seat first before sitting down. Merida sat beside him. And supper began.
Hiccup prodded the food in front of him, before cutting into eat and taking a bite. "Hm…" He "Psst." She turned her attention to the boy. He pointed at the food questioningly.
"That's haggis." She told him. He kept chewing, eyeing her blankly. "Sheep's stomach."
"Mm." He swallowed and responded, "Interesting."
"So, Hiccup. What about you? Tell us about yourself." Fergus said.
"Um… well… I, uh, go to high school with Merida…" He started.
"Go on." The king pushed for him to continue, motioning with the turkey leg in his hand.
"I'm from Berk, which is a quaint village once you get past the freezing temperatures and rough Viking hospitality." He went on. Fergus, who'd been chewing on the turkey leg, stopped cold and then he started to choke. Hiccup and Merida stared wide-eyed at the man. He began forcing the food out of his system, pounding his belly until Elinor had to come up and help him. Finally, the meat came spewing out and landed across the room, hitting the wall. Fergus took a few breaths before looking at Hiccup, as did Elinor. "Viking?!"
"Yeah?" He answered unsurely.
"Merida, you brought home a Viking?" He then faced Merida.
"Yes?" Merida replied, with the same uncertainty as Hiccup. The princes stared at her as well.
"Our ancestors were fierce enemies of the Vikings, or don't you remember?" The king's voice grew rather intimidating. Hiccup began to look uncomfortable and Merida scoffed.
"Dad, that was centuries ago."
Hiccup dared to speak up, "B-besides, our teacher sort of put all of the partners together, so…"
Fergus did not say anything for a moment and Merida added, "You shouldn't be keeping grudges like that."
After a bit of silence, Elinor spoke, "I think Merida is right." He looked to Elinor in minor shock. Then he gazed at Hiccup for a moment.
"He's harmless, I swear, Dad. Look. Not a bit of meat on these bones." Merida grabbed his arm and held it up, pointing at it with her other hand.
"Hey." Hiccup said in defense, taking his arm back.
The king chortled lightly and the teens turned to look at him. He quickly cleared his throat. And then he just nodded. The tension in the room started to fade and Elinor went back to her seat.
"I think it's an interesting occurrence the two were put into a pair. Perhaps, it may settle any lasting disputes between our people."
"What's that supposed to mean, mom?" She inquired. The queen only gave her daughter a knowing glance before returning to her meal.
Hiccup and Merida looked at each other and then quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed.
After dinner, Hiccup and Merida headed upstairs for him to gather his things. "Oh, mum…" She groaned as she brought the doors closed behind her.
"I dunno… She doesn't seem so bad…" Hiccup spoke, shrugging, as he picked up the animation book.
Hiccup looked to her, sliding his notebook and pencil into his pocket. Merida met his gaze and sighed, "She's not a total pain, I guess." She admitted. "Not like she used to be… back then, it seemed like we could never come to an understanding…"
"Sounds like how things were for me and my dad a while back…" Hiccup said, his voice a bit low, his stare falling upon the journal now hidden in his pocket.
Merida raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, Hiccup?"
He hesitantly looked back up at her, "We didn't really get along. I mean, there he was, the, big, brawny village chief… and then there I was, his scrawny little son who's supposed to miraculously live up to his expectations." Merida eyed him, becoming keen with interest. "And he just… he just never listened to me… he didn't get me, and, and it's like he never took the time to try to, you know?"
Merida's voice grew quiet, too, "Yeah, I do. That was my mother." There was a moment of silence and then she said, "It was as if… he just didn't care… wasn't it?"
Hiccup nodded, "Exactly." Merida frowned.
"I know how you felt, then." She spoke with sincerity, smiling sadly. He returned the gesture, but then cleared his throat.
"…Things have been better since then… I mean, I think he finally accepts me for who I am…"
"It's the same with me… but sometimes, mom can still be… um… like she was downstairs." Merida's voice became a little louder as the solemnity of the conservation began to pass.
"Yeah…" He chuckled nervously. He looked at her and she returned his gaze, a small smile on her face. He gulped and said, "Well, I should be leaving now… Berk is a long way from here…"
"Oh. Ok." Merida nodded, tucking a curl behind her ear. Hiccup walked to the door and pulled it open (albeit with a little force than the average man).
"I'll see you tomorrow." He called over his shoulder, a grin on his face.
"Bye." She smiled again. And then the door closed and he was gone. The princess stood still for a couple moments, and then her eyebrows furrowed in thought. And then she was off, pulling the door open and running down the stairs. "Wait! Hiccup! I had some questions that you didn't answer." She stopped looking around. Merida heard a noise presumably from outside and followed it. She bounded out the side door and onto the grass, panting. The coldness of the autumn evening immediately caught her attention, and she pulled on her tan hoodie tighter. She glanced in the darkness when an even darker silhouette showed up and the figure of a teenaged boy. Merida squinted and walked closer. A cry was heard again, just like the one earlier and she gasped.
The boy, Hiccup, did, too and faced Merida. The silhouette did as well and its two, huge green eyes stood out in the night. Her mouth was completely agape, now. She stopped walking and gazed at the creature before her.
"So that's it! That's how you'd drawn the picture and… and the sound from before… because you've got yourself a, a pet dragon!" She exclaimed. Hiccup winced and the reptile eyed her cautiously, his pupils dilated.
"It's okay, bud, she's a friend." He whispered. The dragon looked at Hiccup before relaxing and facing Merida again. The princess stared at the dragon in awe,
"How did you… When did you… Where… Hiccup?" She peeked back up to the Viking teen.
"Merida, this is Toothless. Toothless, Merida."
"Toothless?" Merida spoke, looking at his mouth. "Hm…" Then she scowled. "Care to explain a bit more, Hiccup?"
Hiccup bit his lip, but then nodded, "Back in Berk… quite a while ago, dragons used to be the big pest around the village. You know, stealing our food and burning our houses down. So, what we had to do was start fighting them. And me, well, you said it yourself. Not any meat on these bones…"
"So that's why you weren't what you're father expected?" Merida asked.
"Yeah. During one of the night raids, I was trying to show everyone that I am useful… and managed to take Toothless, here, down. But when I found him I… I wouldn't kill him."
"And that's what formed the bond…" Merida finished for him. He agreed.
"… What do you think?" Hiccup asked after a moment. Merida let her gaze fall on Toothless, who grew more relaxed in her presence. Tentatively, she reached out and the dragon moved back slightly, but then settled down again. Softly, she touched his flesh, just between his nostrils. She exhaled, lightly and Toothless' irises got bigger, his stare less intimidating. A big smile crossed her lips and she looked to Hiccup, "Wow." She uttered. Hiccup grinned back and she slowly withdrew from Toothless, their eyes still locked onto one another. Merida softened, then frowned again and turned to punch Hiccup in the shoulder.
"Hey! Ow! What, What'd you do that for?" He rubbed his now sore shoulder.
"Why didn't you tell me before, Hiccup?" She demanded.
"Well… well, because… I don't know… I wasn't sure how you'd react…" Hiccup tried to clarify.
Merida just shook her head, "Is this some kind of big secret of yours?"
"Not completely. I mean, everyone in Berk knows, Jack knows…"
"Jack? Jack Frost? That white-haired lad with the wooden stick?" Merida asked, sure she'd seen the two navigate the high schools hallways together.
Hiccup nodded, "Yup. He's my best friend, right next to Toothless, that is." He glanced up at Toothless and so did Merida.
"You don't tell anyone else at school about your dragon?"
"No…" Hiccup sighed. "It was hard enough for me to be accepted in my village… then, my dad thinks it's a great idea for me to go to high school. Now I've got a whole new crowd of people to figure out my way through…"
"Huh…" Merida spoke with her eyes downcast. She looked up again to see Toothless nudging Hiccup playfully with his head. Hiccup smiled and rubbed his forehead. And suddenly, gone was the awkward teenager from school, beside Toothless he seemed at ease- as if he actually felt comfortable in his own skin for once. Merida thought to her days off when she could be herself in the forest, practicing her archery and galloping on her horse, Angus. "I think I understand what you mean, Hiccup." She spoke up.
"Yeah?" Hiccup began to mount himself onto Toothless' back. Merida nodded and then her eyes got big.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you… In Berk, we're dragon-riding Vikings." Hiccup said.
At first, she was baffled. Ride a dragon? The more she thought about it though, the more amazing the idea sounded; she walked closer, "Can I ride, too?" But her mother's voice rang out from inside the castle,
"Merida? Where are you? It's past your curfew."
The princess moaned out her detest, looking to the empty spot on Toothless' saddle with longing.
"Another time?" Hiccup looked.
"Looks to be that way…" Merida sighed, her gaze going back to the ground.
"Hey." Hiccup called out for Merida attention and she looked up again. "You'll fly with Toothless next time. Okay?"
"Fine." Merida gave him a half-smile and took a few steps back. Hiccup then leaned over slightly and asked to the dragon,
"Ready, Toothless?" Toothless was already getting in gear and when Hiccup shouted, "Let's go!" He was extending his wings and flapping them; slowly he and Hiccup were rising from the ground.
Merida laughed, completely amazed and watched them until the ebony dragon was indistinguishable in the night.
"Merida!" Elinor shouted.
"I'm coming, mum!" Merida turned on her heel and headed back inside.
Thank you for reviews, favorites and follows! Oh, and to Alex Leep, you're right about the setting of the story. In the future chapters I'll make sure to address that.