As always, a giant heap of thanks to bast4 for betaing my story. Though I wish she didn't sent the corrections in hieroglyphs.

I do not own How to Train Your Dragon nor Brave 2012. Even after I asked really politely through an e-mail they said no. Bummer.

Chapter 14

Morning came and the camp was relocated to a new location at the foot of a mountain. As soon as they got there, Merida dragged them all off to climb it. That would set the tone for the next couple of days. Merida's activities became increasingly more physical, something the young lords happily encouraged, especially Doric. Hiccup found himself sitting off in the sidelines more and more. Part of it was because his prosthesis was becoming more uncomfortable and part of it was because he found little to no enjoyment in strenuous activities. Being benched did have some advantages. With more free time, he was able to think about and analyze the situation back on Berk more carefully. Deciding on a course of action, he wrote a letter to Astrid where he expressed his concerns and planned a course of action. He gave it to the twins and then he prayed to all the gods that he could remember by name that they would not lose it. He also advanced by leaps and bounds with the blue prints for his new foot.

During the nights, he sat and talked with Merida in front of the fire at the center of the camp. They talked mostly of little inconsequential topics, but deeper conversations snuck in here and there. From their talks, Hiccup got the impression that their experiences, despite looking so different at first glance, were eerily similar beneath the surface. Both of them were given responsibilities they were expected to live up to because of who they were. Despite giving it his all, he had failed spectacularly, and soon people decided to simply ignore him, all but forgetting about him. Merida, on the other hand, did not want any responsibility nor cared about what was expected of her and only wanted to be left alone. Yet she was always the center of attention, people believed in her and never stopped supporting her.

Hiccup was not sure how to feel about that. Jealousy and resentment battled for dominance until he remembered that the reason he wanted to kill a dragon in the first place was to get a girlfriend, to get people to pay attention to him. He didn't really care about helping out and he usually ended making the situation worse. Could he condemn her when he used to be just as selfish?

One thing was certain to him. The Merida he talked to at night was not the same person she had been before. Something had changed her and she never even hinted as to what. There was still a piece of the puzzle she refused to give him but he didn't mind. He still kept the majority of his life off limits to conversation, giving details and anecdotes but keeping the big picture out of it.

On the morning of the fifth day, they all woke to find that the twins and their dragon had disappeared without a trace. The triplets were understandably upset and searched all over for them. Hiccup knew that with Barf and Belch gone, they could be anywhere and any chance of finding them was slim but didn't tell them. What bothered him was the stealthy way they departed; the twins couldn't be quiet to save their lives yet no one saw or heard them leave.

By midday, a messenger arrived at the camp and told them that they were return to the castle immediately. Preparing himself to leave, he found a letter tucked on Toothless's saddle; the envelope had an inscription on runic. Read this alone. He hid it in his vest and continued to prepare. They rode for most of the day, only stopping for lunch. The sun was starting to set when they arrived at castle Dunbroch. The King and Queen greeted the group at the door with the Lords nowhere to be found. Elinor, in a rare break from protocol, gave Merida and the triplets a big motherly hug.

Ian took the opportunity to address the King. "May I inquire as to the whereabouts of my father?"

Fergus frowned lightly. "All three Lords had to go back to their domains." He gave no further explanations and Ian bowed his head in understanding.

Fergus then turned to Hiccup. "Ye may want to tone down yer antics with yer dragon, lad. Ah've had reports of a black dragon wrecking havoc near some towns.

Hiccup, who was watching the Queen fuss over her children, was startled by this. "But I haven't…"

"Hiccup's been with us the entire time, Dad, an Toothless can't fly on his own." Merida intervened.

Elinor was surprised by her daughter speaking on behalf of the Viking but hid it well. Fergus just brushed the whole thing aside. "We'll talk about this later. Fer now, ye should all clean yerselves up an prepare fer dinner."

Dinner was a cheerful affair, dominated by Merida's voice as she animatedly told her parents all about the trip and Fergus's boisterous laughter. Once it was over, Hiccup found himself alone in his room. With Toothless already asleep, he decided to read the letter he had found earlier.

Hiccup. I'm sorry for the hasty departure but I have an image to maintain. I don't believe I need to remind you that you should destroy this letter after you finish reading it. Negotiations have hit a snag and I must return to Berk. I will use this opportunity to remind you of the importance of your task. A simple pact of alliance is too fickle to suffice to our needs. We need that princess on Berk and we need her there of her own volition.

Hiccup frowned, he hated that the whole alliance between Vikings and Highlanders basically boiled down to Berk needing a hostage. It wasn't fair to Merida that they couldn't find a better solution. He sighed and continued reading.

If some rumors I've heard are true, you've been sowing a little chaos on the side. I approve, just try to be more discrete.

On a more relevant note, the Scotts have been through some Viking attacks recently; some of them more inland than what a normal expedition would be comfortable with. It would be in our best interests for you to investigate; try to disguise it a gesture of good will if you can.

A word of caution, try to keep your dragon out of sight for this one. While our relations with other tribes is a good one, the revelation of our alliance with the Scotts to them before it's completed could get us in trouble; and the presence of a dragon just screams Berk. If the raiders are Berserkers, remember that, for the moment, there can be no witnesses that you or your dragon are in Scotland. Hiccup, don't get queasy on this, it is important.

Hiccup sighed and walked over to Toothless. The letter was unsigned but there was no doubt as to who wrote it. "I need a favor bud. Get rid of this for me will you?"

Toothless lazily opened one eye and saw Hiccup holding a piece of paper in front of him. He gently blew a small gout of blue flame and reduced it ash. Hiccup scratched him behind his earflaps in thanks. "That's one problem down." He sighed. "It almost makes you wish you could solve all your problems the same way, huh bud?"

Next morning, Hiccup asked round for a smithy, he was informed that the castle had one but that it was unused and had fallen into disrepair. Deciding that his best bet was the smithy in the nearby town, Hiccup headed there for the first time. Even though the town was just a ten minute walk from the castle, Hiccup was worried he would get ousted as a Viking and lynched or worse. Fortunately, he wasn't alone.

"So the town's name is Dunbroch huh? You guys are just overflowing with imagination, aren't you?"

"Says the man named after a hiccup."

"It's to scare away trolls."

"An does it work?"

"Do you see any trolls around us?"

"Touché."

"Are you sure it's okay for you to come with me?"

Merida's shrug did not set Hiccup at ease in the slightest. "Ye worry too much. Do ye even know where the smithy's located? Or how to get Montgomery to help ye?"

"I figured some gold would… wait, what? Montgomery? You know this guy?"

She nodded "Yes A do. He was the castle's smith for many years before he opened his own shop on town. He made me many a sword while A was growing up."

Once they got to the smithy, Hiccup was too distracted by the familiar sounds and smells to notice the owner until he spoke to them. "Mother's love! Is that you, lass?"

"Monty!" Merida ran to give man a hug. "How's me favorite sworderer?"

'Sworderer?' Hiccup mouthed silently.

'Monty' was a heavyset moustachioed balding man with grey hair that laughed joyfully and returned the hug. "A can't complain lass. Now, woot brings a princess to me humble shop?"

"A came because me friend Hiccup needs yer services."

Montgomery frowned slightly and turned to the boy. "Yer that Viking everyone's been talking aboot…" It wasn't a question.

"People talk about me?"

"A expected ye to be taller."

"I get that a lot."

"Woot can A do fer ye?"

"I need some pure Iron beyond what many would consider practical, but judging by your forge, I don't think you can manage it without weeks of heating and reheating." Hiccup spared a glance at the forge.

"Laddie… don't ya think ye should… rephrase that?" The Scotsman's voice gained an edge.

Hiccup didn't notice. "Probably, this design offers a lot of control but the position of the air intakes will make it harder to reach higher temperatures."

Montgomery was a bit mollified that the boy at least knew what he was talking about. "That's nae a problem if ye donae need the heat to go that high, laddie. Why do ye need the Iron pure? Is regular Iron not good enough for ye?"

"It's a vanity project, Monty." Merida intervened, amused at Hiccup's look of indignation at her comment.

"Bleh, A thought A was through with that crap when A left the castle. If ye want something pretty, go find a jeweler."

"A brought ye some Scotch." Merida singsonged. "It's really good."

The older Scott's face contorted as if in pain for a moment. "Fine, but yer better off with silver if ye want to impress yer friends back home. Purifying iron that much is a tricky and arduous task."

"It's not for impressing anyone and I don't need that much of it, I just want my foot to repel fairies."

Hearing that explanation from the boy, Montgomery finally noticed that instead of one foot he had a metal contraption. "Why do ye want to spook the Fey, laddie?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Hiccup seemed perplexed by the question.

Monty fought the urge to palm his face. Vikings were a tad more superstitious than the Highlanders(1) and the boy lived in a place where the princess turned her mother into a bear, so he was probably just nervous. "Fine A'll make ye yer foot, but yer gonna have to leave it here for a few days."

"I don't think you understand. I'm a blacksmith apprentice; I want to make my own foot."

"Are ye kidding me?" He turned to Merida. "That better be some good Scotch, lass."

"It's the one dad hides from me mum." She smirked.

Montgomery grimaced and turned towards Hiccup. "Yer lucky A have a more enlighten view of Vikings than most Scotts, laddie. Now let's look at that leg."

They stayed in the smithy for a few hours planning and Monty proved his knowhow by making some adjustments to Hiccup's foot that took away the uncomfortable feeling that the prosthesis had started to give him recently. He still needed to replace it, but it wasn't an urgent matter anymore. one problem down, twenty more to go. As they made their way back to the castle, Hiccup couldn't stop thinking about Knifenut's letter. Being reminded so bluntly of the reason for his stay in Scottland made him remember a couple of doubts he had since his father presented him with this plan. Now he was in a position to get some answers. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to hear a familiar sounding Viking curse.

1- No they weren't

Man, when they told me that dish was to die for; I didn't think they meant it literally…

By the way I've been meaning to ask you guys for some time. Remember chapter 10? Including the four main ones, which clan would you be in? A MacDonald? Or maybe a Macleod?