Ch. 7 Fate can't be changed?

Never had Jack recovered this quickly from his yearly illness. It was all thanks to Elsa. Wonderful Elsa who held his hand and seemed to read him like a book. Jack felt such a strong connection with her that he didn't have to tell her anything about himself and how he felt. Their eye contact told each other everything. Except for one thing. Jack couldn't get the memory of his crash landing through Elsa's window out of his head. It had been unintended, but at that moment he could have kissed her and the fact that he had not, left a nagging feeling in his chest. When he woke up, he wasted no time in rushing to the window and lean out to see if Elsa was awake yet. It was quite early in the morning and through Elsa's open window everything told him that it was yet too early.
Jack got an idea. He could surprise her by making her breakfast. Jack decided it was a great idea and got quickly dressed to jump over. He was feeling incredible and he had only Elsa to thank for that. Not only was the warm weather of Spring not bothering him anymore, he didn't remember ever being this happy to be alive.

"Jack?"

Apparently Jack had not been careful enough not to make noise with the kitchen utensils and had woken the owner of the apartment before he had even come to choosing his ingredients. He felt flustered and jumped up to cover the two empty plates he had put onto the counter while he watched a sleepy Elsa with somewhat nervousness.

"Why are you in my kitchen?" Elsa asked him, not at all upset. She was still busy waking up, but when clarity dawned in her eyes, they looked at Jack in curiosity. Jack understood he just had to spoil his surprise. He couldn't think of a way around it.

"I ah wanted to make you breakfast, to thank you." He told her. he still watched her with anxiety, but then Elsa covered her mouth in a fit of giggling laughter that ended in a sneeze. Elsa was still sick and the tiny snowmen her erupting ice powers created fell in melting lumps to the ground. It was sad to watch, but also very strange. Jack's sneezes didn't create snow-children, they created cold blizzards. No wonder Elsa was still bothered by the warm weather, her powers didn't give her the cold environment she needed.
"Are you still sick?"" he asked her and he jumped over to her side to give her comfort by enclosing her shoulders with his hands. Elsa smiled at him in a shy way and Jack's heart suddenly seem to think it was in a hurry. The thought of leaning in, came into his head, but something hindered him to answer to it and he stepped back awkwardly.
"Shall I make breakfast?" he asked her, feeling at a loss. Again Elsa smiled and she eyed him with a wonderful spark in her eyes that filled Jack's heart with both joy and the regret that he had stepped away.

"Thank you Jack, but I can help you if you want. My heat has cooled down much and I am not that sick anyway." Elsa tried, but Jack dismissed her offer with a grin.

"That means yours has yet to get worse. Just make yourself comfortable and I'll get you something to eat."
He sat her down gently at the kitchen table and made it snow, just above the crown of her head, so the snow wouldn't land in her food later. Then he went back into the kitchen and started to put things together. Whenever he suffered from the heat he didn't eat anything cooked and he guessed it was the same for Elsa, so he made her a cold salmon salad. When he sat the table and put down the plate he picked out for himself, Elsa smiled.
"Are you joining me for breakfast?" She asked him cheerfully.

"Yes, you stayed with me, now I'll stay with you." Jack told her. He became aware of his broad smile, but couldn't do anything about it. He didn't even know why he was this happy when he should feel sorry for Elsa's health. He did care! He was just glad he could be there for her and most importantly, that she wanted him to.


Good morning!" Merida said happily to Rapunzel when she once again invited herself over in the morning.

"Hey Merida, I thought you might come, so I made you breakfast." Rapunzel told her brightly when she was just busy setting the table.

"Thank yu very much!" Merida stepped happily inside and sat herself down at the kitchen table. Rapunzel was amazing to do that for her and Merida had already become so used to the apartment as a second home. It was as if she came there for years.

"You still didn't do your own shopping, did you?" Eugene asked her grumpily when he too sat down and Rapunzel gave him a cup of coffee on her way to fetch Merida's breakfast.
"You know that stuff doesn't really help, right?" he groaned at his girlfriend's back. Rapunzel didn't answer, so Merida made the call for a conversation that might interest them.

"Ay won't expect Jack tae come. Ay heard Elsa is still ill and ayam pretty sure, Jack will stay with her taeday."

"That's wonderful, don't you think? Oh maybe I should arrange something for them to have them together even more. Elsa is always putting her work first and Jack needs to be more active." Rapunzel exclaimed and her eyes were positively sparkling with idea's.

"More active? Jack didn't slow down the minute he met her! You saw them when she first came here. Not to mention what happened yesterday." Eugene brought in.

Merida didn't know if she was so happy that she brought it up. She knew Rapunzel would be overly excited about it, but still. Rapunzel's obsession with Jack and Elsa's relationship scared Merida a bit. She didn't like meddling like that, it was no difference from what her mother was doing with her and the three young lords. Jack was so carefree, like herself, Merida would hate it for him to be pushed into any relationship. Besides from what she always heard and saw, she knew Jack was doing just fine on his own.

"Eh, ay think Jack is fine the way he is now." She said carefully and shared an agreement with Eugene, but Rapunzel chose to ignore her too at that point.

"Speaking of 'getting together', how is working with Hiccup?" she countered instead and Merida choked in her coffee.

"Subtle." Eugene remarked sarcastically and again Rapunzel ignored him. She took a seat right across the table so Merida could only look directly at her and laid her head in her hands to listen to Merida intently with a beaming face.

"Tell me!" Rapunzel was glowing with enthusiasm again and Merida began to feel very uncomfortable. She tried hard not to cough and think about the words Rapunzel had chosen, while she chose her words carefully.
"It is fine. Ay know ay impressed them when ay handled that flock of Terrible Terrors on ma first day and the things ay learn about Dragons and Berk are very interesting.." She replied and she saw Rapunzel's spark fade with some triumph. It had not at all been what Rapunzel wanted to hear and Merida liked that.
"Ayam sorry, but that's it." She told her friend truthfully with a happy smile.

"You met Astrid, right? Didn't she try to kill you a few times or attack Hiccup for bringing you?" Eugene asked, obviously not satisfied with Merida's report either.

"No, ay know she and Hiccup were having a fight over something, but that has been settled, ay think. She only asked him whether he had thought it through when he brought me and ay think they had a good talk once ay was with the Dragons. Hiccup came tae see me afterwards, and he was fine. The following days, she was often gone with her Dragon, but Fishlegs wants her tae teach me abou' Deadly Nadders so ay know ay'll meet her then."
Again Merida had not given them what they wanted and it made her curious as well.
"She and Hiccup have a history, don't they?" she asked.

"Astrid was Hiccup's betrothed, until she decided to trade Hiccup up with a new one." Eugene told her shamelessly.

"What?" Merida cried in utter surprise with a high pitched voice and she jumped up from her seat. "Why would anyone want tae trade up Hiccup?" she blurred out, but then she bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anymore. Personally she had thought it had to be something like this, but she really couldn't imagine it that way. They had been betrothed and she just changed her mind? Not to mention, Astrid's cool behaviour towards Hiccup when she was the one who had betrayed him. It was just a ridiculous idea!

"For someone who is more of a Viking, I guess." Rapunzel went on sadly. "It was really sad, Astrid used to like Hiccup for being who he is, the small, smart boy who befriended Dragons, but time changed her mind."

"That's ridiculous!" Merida declared furiously and she felt her blood boil towards a certain blonde Viking with her spiked skirt and sharp axe. Merida was still shocked. She knew from Hiccup's stories that he indeed used to be small and treaded as a failure in his youth. That he had to deal with a lot of pressure of becoming what he obviously was not. Vikings really were ruthless to tread anyone as worthless. She herself had laughed at Wee Dingwall for being tiny and weak, but his father still presented him with much praise and his stories of triumph were supported by the whole clan. Hiccup had to shoot down Toothless and almost get killed to prove to his own father that he was worth listening to. He obviously had a strong mind and will to withstand all that during his childhood and did not deserve this!

Rapunzel gave her a soothing smile and it calmed her a bit. "We know, Merida." She spoke softly, but whatever more she wanted to say, was prevented by a knock on the door and none other than Hiccup himself entered the apartment. Merida's heart jumped up to her throat. A fear that he had heard her outburst came to her mind. She had been yelling after all and her accent was unmistakable.

"Hey, is it alright if I join you?" He asked ever so bashful. Hiccup was indeed no fearsome Viking and his appearance was not sturdy and bloated with muscles. Hiccup did not need a bushy beard and unruly hair to mask his eyes to look dangerous. Hiccup was kind, compassionate and ready to protect what he held dear. His eyes had seen much and saw the world with opportunities. To Merida that was what a brave man should look like and she tried to tell him all that as their eyes locked. Every morning they shared a silent moment like this and every time Merida liked to fool herself in thinking him to feel the same way. It gave her confidence, peace and great happiness.

Rapunzel was more than happy to serve another friend breakfast and disappeared into the kitchen to get Hiccup a plate.

"Did you also forget to buy food?" Eugene asked Hiccup. Hiccup didn't answer him directly, but to Merida's great discomfort, smiled at her and took a seat quite close to her. She was still wondering if he heard her and her confidence dropped like a stone.

"I forgot I had to, yes." Hiccup replied to Eugene's question nonchalantly and Merida hoped Eugene had unknowingly saved her, but quickly felt sick with nerves when Hiccup soon set his soft green eyes on her again.

"I was meaning to ask you, is Fishlegs teaching you well?"

Hiccup really was too sweet and it threw Merida completely off her game. She almost wished him to be rude or stupid, just for once. Of course Hiccup never was that. He had known from the start that he could not be her teacher so he selected his friend who was the kindest of the group. Hiccup had relied on that, but still he wanted to know if he had treaded Merida well enough.

"His lessons are very interesting and yu should know that ayam not someone to say that often." Merida assured him earnestly. She was glad her voice had not been squeaky again, despite her nerves, but she thought it best not to look at him for a moment and so she fixed her eyes on the plate with fresh bread.

"That's a relieve," she heard Hiccup sigh and she knew he was smiling, "Fishlegs intends to rumble on and on when he talks about Dragons. I was worried he might annoy or bore you."

Merida looked up. She had been right, Hiccup had a wonderful smile on his face, that handsome face and Merida could only return it shyly.
"Yes, he talks a lot, especially about his own Dragon, but ay can understand that. Ay expect yu tae rumble on when it comes tu Toothless and why wouldn't ye? Ay still want tae have a lesson from you too."

Hiccup's lips and he curled up into an even richer smile.
"Fishlegs told me you were a very good listener."

"Really?" Merida reacted and finally she heard some sarcasm coming back in her manner of speaking. "Ay wish may mother was here tae hear that!" she remarked dryly.

It was silent after that and to her great surprise Merida saw something in Hiccup's eyes she had not expected to see. Concern.
"Hiccup?" she asked him gently, but he just blinked and leaned back in his chair, his head in his neck as if he was exhausted.

"Nothing." He said a bit flustered and when he bent over his plate he attacked his bread to have something to do.

Merida did not understand what just had happened and kept staring at him. Rapunzel too got suspicious and she tried to get him to explain as well.

"Really, it's nothing!" Hiccup assured them with a strange rush in his voice. "I just remembered something. It's nothing any of you should worry about."
Merida didn't really believe him and Hiccup seemed to be aware of that, because he began a new topic again.
"I think it is a good idea to show the other Dragon Trainers what you can do in archery, Merida. Especially with Astrid, you create a better connection by showing your talent. She and Snotlout like to compete, so let's show them what you've got!"

This was an unexpected thing for Hiccup to say. It was feisty, like Merida and she found herself liking him even more.
"Really?" she asked him with beaming eyes and she looked at him closely to see if he really meant it. Merida loved archery, but she always did it alone. Only once did she show her skill to others and now Hiccup had granted her the opportunity to make a bunch of cocky Vikings drop their jaws! But then she remembered her arrow shortage.
"Ay only have two good arrows left, though. Ay made new ones, but ay can't make the heads myself." She told Hiccup a bit cast down, but Hiccup smiled.

"That's not a problem, Gobber would love to make weapons again if I asked him. He is our black smith, but only makes saddles and tends to Dragons' teeth these days. .Actually, I can make them for you as well. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little."
The fact that Hiccup felt the need to tell her that he too could make arrows made Merida very pleased and again a bit shy.


After breakfast Hiccup did not expect to be held off work, so when he opened the door to see Rapunzel, the first thing he felt was concern.
"Rapunzel, is something wrong?" He asked her, but Rapunzel relieved him with a smile.

"No, no problem, but I have been thinking about something for a while now and I would like to have your support, Hiccup."

Hiccup had no idea what to expect. It was obviously a big deal to Rapunzel, but he had no guesses to what it could be. He let her in and she sat herself down at the kitchen table, waiting rather tense for Hiccup to do the same.
"I already said something about it to Jack, but I'm sure I feel better if everyone knows and I think you can help me to figure it out." Rapunzel began and she drew a large breath that stretched out her upper body. Only to crumble a little when she let the amount of air out again. Then she fixed her eyes on Hiccup and looked really serious.
"I want my magic hair back, Hiccup, I really do. Ever since I lost it, I feel not the same. It makes me sad. I already talked about it with Eugene and he fears my trust in people will fade again and also the memories of Mother Gothel's lies, but I know they won't.
Jack teases me sometimes that I still won't travel any further than Corona, but that isn't because I'm scared. It's because I know where I want to be!" Rapunzel was passionately defending herself to Hiccup and the later let her. In truth, she didn't have to defend herself like this, Hiccup would always trust her to do what she thought was the right thing. After all, who was he to deny her her own choices? Even so, Rapunzel felt the need to justify her wish and persuade him. She leaned a little over the table to look him more closely in the eye. To show him how serious she was about it.
"Listen, I know it were different turn of events that gave me my powers, I wasn't supposed to have them, but have this hair that is exactly like my mother's, but I had that golden hair from birth and I could have done wonderful things with it! The thought of almost losing Eugene still haunts me every time I look in the mirror. Once free from Mother Gothel, I could have helped so many people and share the sun's gift, but that's gone now."

Hiccup waited a moment to be sure Rapunzel was finished talking, but then nodded with encouragement.
"If this is how you feel about it, then you should try to bring it back and I'll try to be of help."

Rapunzel's eyes widened with pure delight and she jumped up to lock Hiccup in a surprisingly strong hug.
"Great! I was thinking Heather could help as well!"

A knock sounded on the door and with Merida's voice Hiccup remembered he still had to go to Berk. He let the redhead in and wanted to wrap things up with Rapunzel so he and Merida could go, but it soon turned out not to be that simple.

"Hey Rapunzel, ay didn't expect tae see yu here." Merida greeted her friend, still in high spirits. The thought of bringing her bow to Berk made her even more excited to go than usual.

"Oh, I should tell you too. Remember that I told you about my past? That I was kept from my parents by a witch? Well, the reason for that was the magic hair I had and Hiccup agreed to help me get it back. You see, my hair kept the witch young, so Eugene cut it off, but I know I can use it to help people."

"What?" Merida asked her and immediately Hiccup knew Rapunzel had chosen the wrong way to tell her story.
"No, yu shouldn't!" Merida gasped and she backed away to the door.

Rapunzel didn't understand. "You don't understand, my hair used to cure the sick and injured, it is a gift from the sun."

"But, it attracts witches, doesn't it?" Merida countered and her eyes turned to Hiccup in a desperate need for add. In her eyes Hiccup saw the fear from a bad memory and he knew which one, but that was not all, there was also frustration and old anger.
"Rapunzel, please listen tu me! Those witches can du anything tae ye tae humour themselves. For trusting in magic my mum turned intu a furry bear and nothing changed for the better. Ay only wanted ma mother tu listen tu me and rethink my betrothal, that was all. That old hag got a way with me and ay gained only more trouble! Now, ma mother understands me a wee better, but ay know she just wants tae give me freedom before ay have tu marry Wee Dingwall or Macintosh anyway!. Ayam still not free tae choose freely. Whoever I marry must not be a cause fur war between the clans! That old hag didn't make me free. Ay still can't love who ay want!" With every word she spoke Merida's voice became more panicked and her eyes were no longer seeing the people she was telling all this to. Hiccup and Rapunzel were speechless. Hiccup knew the part about the bear curse Merida had released on her mother to change her controlled life, but she had never told him what it was her mother wanted her to do. It was an arranged marriage and it would still take place, unless she could find someone suitable on her own, at least that was her told to make things easier. Merida's frustration came from the undeniable truth that it was still impossible to marry outside the candidates picked out for her. Hiccup himself found himself confronted with another undeniable truth. Merida was from royal blood. Rapunzel was still nailed to the ground with shock, but he found some willpower to move his feet and used it to walk to Merida, who had become a little shaky.

"Merida?" He began gently, but nonetheless Merida's eyes widened with some kind of fear.
"Have you been bothered by this all this time?" Hiccup wanted to be a comfort to her. He didn't want to be the cause of that look in her eyes, but had to accept that there was little he could do. Merida had known to stay away from Vikings, but had denied that truth by trusting him. Even a comforting hug would be out of line. Not only was Merida a royal from the Highlands, she was pressured to find a husband. Hiccup could not act on his own feelings towards her anymore.


Hiccup flew with a quiet Merida to Berk. Her joy had left her and she held onto him only gently. Hiccup had been right to feel concern every time Merida mentioned her old life and a small voice at the back of his mind told him that it should end here, just in time, but Hiccup chose not to listen.
"Merida?" Hiccup wanted to bring her out of her gloom and let Toothless fly on his own accord while he turned his upper body as far as he could to speak to her with kindness.
"I want you to know that what you told us doesn't change anything for me. I am glad you gave me a chance to get to know you."

Merida's eyed him in search of the truth in his words and her lips curled into a sweet smile when she trusted in what she saw.
"I've heard every war in our history, good and bad. Ma mum was very strict about it. According to her every story is a lesson, legend or truth, but time changes people, ay have learned that first hand and yu proved it again." She told him softly and even though Toothless was not descending yet, Hiccup's stomach filled with fluttery butterflies when Merida closed her arms around him. He kept smiling at her while she averted her eyes.

"They do, my way of life is prove of it." He replied, feeling himself becoming stronger with hope.

"Though, ay can't say ay agree how some still treat yu." Merida added out of the blue.

"Yeah I heard that this morning." Hiccup said and his smile faded a little. He saw Merida's eyes widen with shock after he had said that and he decided to look in front of him again. He could imagine that she did not want to look at him right now. However wanted her to listen to what he was going to say, because he did not want her to misunderstood things.
"Astrid did not trade me, Merida." He therefore went on. He didn't want to be the cause of any more friction amongst the Dragon Riders.
"She and I always had different futures in mind, but never discussed it and one day Astrid made her choice." Hiccup tried to be civil towards both of them. He couldn't help the sadness he was still feeling, sounding through his words, but he wanted Merida not to judge Astrid for it.
Merida had expressed her surprise that anyone would want to break up with him and that was definitely a compliment towards him and he had to surrender himself to the truth that he really liked her and so he wanted her to see the good person in Astrid, just like he did.
Merida was awfully quiet and so Hiccup decided to look back at her again. When he did, he saw her gaze into the distance with a slightly frustrated expression and knew he needed to tell her something else.
"Hey," he called gently and she focused her eyes on him again,
"I'm glad you don't see me as less a Viking."
Hiccup wanted to show her how much that still meant to him, especially after she had seen Berk and the other Vikings. He smiled at her softly and it changed the colour of Merida's cheeks.
In surprise Hiccup blinked. He made her blush! It actually startled Hiccup a bit, but in a very good way. Hiccup had never made a girl blush in his life. Astrid never blushed, not even when she was shy. She was the kind of girl who hit you in the gut and then kissed you to make you shy. Merida was different, she wore her heart on her sleeve. Merida had been on her own for most of her life, alone in a world full of people who didn't see the world the way she did. Merida taught herself to look ahead and it had created this great strength and determination to shine forever in her eyes. Unfortunately, she could not run from her fate and now it was still being pressed on her, chasing her great joy in life away. A suffocating feeling closed in on Hiccup's chest when he recollected its meaning. Merida could only maintain peace by choosing a husband and, even though her parents had made a middle way by allowing her to find love on her own, a Viking would be the utmost exception to that.

AN: I am trying to keep it a ROTBFTD story, but right now there is much to write about Merida and Hiccup. That won't be much of a problem, seeing that this story is put under their movies, but I would like you all to know that I also have some big events planned for Jelsa. Because this is a HTTYD and Brave story, I won't write a chapter without Merida and Hiccup in it. :)

Please review!