"Dude! Man, c'mon, we're here!" Jack shook Hiccup violently, who finally groaned and sat up straight on Toothless.
"I got it. I got it. I got it," Hiccup yawned, his eyes half-closed. "We're… we're here… whoa."
Hiccup grabbed Merida's knee and shook her gently. "Is it mornin'?" she asked drowsily. When she laid her eyes on the kingdom, she had the same reaction as Hiccup as her eyes widened immensely. "Whoa."
A large, white castle with a red tiled roof towered over an island sporting purple flags with golden suns in the center. The village surrounding it looked as though straight from a storybook. "This is the Corona? The right Corona?" Jack asked Toothless, who snorted smoke.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Hiccup asked.
Jack looked in between Merida and Hiccup. Neither of them got it. "Rapunzel said she lived in a tower in the woods with her mother because her mother was trying to protect her from a cruel, harsh world. The magical hair is one thing, but Rapunzel's mother was making the world out to be entirely evil. I always assumed that it was because Rapunzel came from a kingdom filled with crime and horror-"
"Ain't this where that Rider boy lives?" Merida supplied.
Jack looked down into the village. For whatever reason, banners and other decorations were beginning to sparkle the town. Children danced around the streets as they set to work helping their parents make the town more beautiful. "Yes, this is where he lives, alright."
"We're going to have to land Toothless in the forest and cross that bridge into Corona. We are going inside the kingdom, right?" Hiccup asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, of course." Jack shook his head to get focused. "Can you send your dragon to walk further into the forest or something? I don't feel comfortable leaving a dragon on the border of Muggle woods."
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Hiccup grumbled.
Jack didn't have time for this. "Toothless? You heard me?" Toothless snorted again. "You know," Jack continued, "I never get more than some kind of a snort from this guy. He really doesn't like me."
A smile poked at Merida's lips. "Well, maybe if ye stop referrin' to him in third person as if he's not here, ye'd find that-"
"Yeah, Merida, I get it," Jack scowled. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. Looking up at the sun, he estimated it was about nine in the morning. That meant Jack had officially had thirty-six hours to get a level head on Rapunzel's situation. He still felt easily agitated and unfocused. He couldn't carry out a conversation without biting someone's head off or slipping into some random depression. "Land the dragon, Hiccup. I'll scope out the city on my own. I guess all three of us will meet up whenever."
Hiccup began to argue, but Merida put a hand on his shoulder, reading Jack's eyes clearly. "Go 'head, Jack. If ye think splittin' up is the best move, ye go on an' land in Corona. Ye might be able to find somethin' on yer own."
On his own. That was really what Jack needed. He mock-saluted to the pair and spiraled downward onto the roof of the castle. No one was looking up into the sky, expecting a flying boy and two teenagers riding a dragon, so Jack went unnoticed. Scanning the kingdom, Jack slowly scaled down the castle, trying to think of what to do that would be useful or helpful. He paced the cobblestone streets in town, looking at random signs and ignoring the looks people gave him and his conspicuous staff.
"Hey," Jack said, stopping a random elderly man pushing a wooden milk cart out of his shop. "Do you know where I could find any citizen records or-?"
"Palace, of course." The man's voice was rough and scratchy but gentle in tone. "No where else. And, naturally, they're very selective of who gets access to what. What do you need to know?"
"Just… where someone lives."
"I've been in this town since I was a boy. My parent's, parent's, parent's-"
"So you could help me?"
"I know where everyone lives. Just say his or her name."
"Uh… I just know her last name. Gothel."
Considering a fact the family was living locked in a tower, Jack wasn't surprised when the man blinked. "Do you mean Gretel? Goughter?"
The man continued rambling names. "No, no, Gothel."
"What does she look like, son?"
Jack froze. He'd never seen Rapunzel's mother. Never met her. Was there a worst boyfriend ever award? The only thing he knew about her appearance was that she didn't have Rapunzel's long, golden hair. "Never mind. I'm sorry to bother you."
The milkman grabbed Jack's arm as he walked off. "Wait, son, why do you need to know this?" Jack didn't answer, but his face must've looked pretty desperate. "Tell you what," the man continued, voice low. "I was delivering this to the palace and I'm tight on time anyway. I'll pay you…" The man reached into his pockets and pulled out a good sum of the Muggle currency used in Corona. "Just drop the milk off in the kitchen. If you need directions, ask anyone in the palace. Maybe you can find someone in there who will help you."
Jack shook his head in confusion. These were the bad people Rapunzel was sheltered from? "Sir, I- I can't tell you-"
"Yeah, but you can show me. I know that face." Jack looked deep into the man's stormy gray eyes and saw something flicker. "You're an orphan looking for your birth mother, huh?" Jack decided the best move was to stay silent. "Yeah. You're not from around here, huh? Would recognize you if you were."
"Obviously," Jack chuckled weakly. "You know everyone."
"Yes, and I used to head an orphanage for boys a while back. They've probably grown up and are all your age by now. I remember they'd always ask me everything they possibly could about their parents. Sometimes I had to guard answers because they wouldn't want to know. I wish I could say I knew something about yours."
Jack was all ready to go, but he decided to push into the evil characters Rapunzel's overprotective mother ranted about. "What do you mean, 'guard answers'?"
"Mainly with the oldest boy, Eugene. I found him on my doorstep as a baby with a note. A note that told me everything except for his name. Eugene was my own christening after by late brother-in-law."
"Wait, a detailed note that forgot his name?"
"Parents don't forget their child's name. They just didn't want or name him."
Underneath sorrow and disgust, Jack found an inexplicable curiosity wrenching inside. "What did the note say?"
"The mother was a young teenager who had a boyfriend. A soldier. Accidents happen." The milkman nodded. "She remained anonymous, but gave a very detailed report of her family life and background. Everything that affected and or justified her decision of doing anything in her power to get rid of the baby. Falling on her stomach, starving herself, et cetera. The boy was a fighter. The orphanage didn't even exist yet. I had just been making big talk around town. The girl must've overheard and left her baby on my doorstep when able."
"That's… horrible," Jack mused.
"Horribly sad, yes, but it was her decision. She was a teenager. She wasn't ready. But I have to admit that I spent a bit of time deducing who the mother was. I found out only when Eugene was seven years old and the orphanage had grown to fifteen boys. Eugene was always the oldest. He had a way with them. Charming from a young age." The milkman shook his head. "Using the letter, I found out who the mother was."
"And?"
"Dead. She'd run away with a soldier- a different one from another kingdom- and died of a smallpox epidemic that wiped out that entire territory. She was twenty-three."
Jack puffed out his cheeks. "The father?"
"When I found the mother, I found the father just fine. In fact, you're probably going to meet him when you deliver my milk. Captain of the Guard now, he is. Ugly man, too… oh, I'm sorry, that's quite rude. But young Eugene must've gotten his looks from his mother, that's all I have to say."
"Does Eugene know…?"
"Would a seven-year-old prefer dead parents or a floozy mother and an absentee biological father?"
Jack cleared his throat and began pushing the milk cart. Accidents happen. That didn't mean she was floozy. But from a seven-year-old boy's perspective, Jack tried to understand. "Yeah. Um, I guess I understand. So he's grown up now?"
The milkman didn't walk alongside Jack, but just shrugged and called after him: "I don't know. He was a rebellious teenager. Some foreign reformatory boarding school picked him up when he was thirteen. The program was years and years. Finally, when he finished his 'schooling'… never saw him again."
"I'll see if I can find him, too!" Jack called back just to see the old man smile. But Jack knew it was probably impossible.
The wheels of the milk cart rattled down the street back to the palace. It was amazing how Jack didn't realize he'd left his staff leaning against the front wall of the milkman's barn, right outside his door.
Merida looked around Corona in awe. It was nothing, nothing, like DunBroch's rolling hillsides and old stony fortresses. Merida felt like she was a fictional character living in a fairytale neighborhood of villagers coexisting in a utopian society.
"You're still not over this place, are you?" Hiccup chuckled, noting her awe.
"Sorry for appreciation' marvelous architecture an' takin' note o' the extraordinary rulin' talents o' the king an' queen here!"
"Are you trying to sound super sophisticated or something?"
"Not tryin'. I do sound super sophisticated."
"But of course." Silence as they walked through. "Well… what should we do first?"
Merida sighed. She really, really wanted to do some investigating for Rapunzel's sake, but she also knew Jack was on that. While Rapunzel was gone, Merida found they were taking turns being the mature logical ones. "Um… why don't we find an inn? I think we're aimin' to spend more than a day here."
"We don't have Muggle money. Just Galleons and Sickles and Knuts." Hiccup dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out the gold, silver, and bronze coins, letting them drip through his fingers back into the pocket. "Do you think there are any wizards here?"
"I don't know. I know the king an' queen are, but I think that's it. There's ought to be somebody-"
"And," a salesman's voice rose teasingly, "the winner gets a free three-night stay at the Lavender Lights Lodge, Corona's own original lodging for travelers here to see the spectacular Festival of the Floating Lights!"
Merida's fiery curls whipped around as she followed the source of the voice. A tall, skinny man was gesturing to purple and gold targets with a golden sun in the center of them, the same golden sun as the flag. "Archery," Merida whispered.
She half-expected Hiccup to be the party-pooper and argue or something, but he just grabbed her wrist and dragged her over. "You got this."
"Well!" The salesperson smiled, probably thinking discriminatingly towards female archers. "A contestant!"
"So… a three-night stay durin' this… Festival o' the Floatin' Lights?"
The salesperson laughing with a demeaning laugh, as if educating a two-year-old. "Well, sweetie, the festival isn't for another fortnight! This three-night stay is only including the next three nights. But I most certainly recommend you give it a 'shot'!" The man laughed at his own pun, and Merida felt like whipping out her wand to cast a Stunning Spell. Naturally, she couldn't around Muggles. "Did I mention that the Lavender Lights Lodge is brand new? Beautifully furnished in purple, well-lit with natural sunlight-"
"Can I shoot for me own chance to stay there for three nights?" Merida said, trying to sound diplomatic but probably coming across downright frustrated.
"And, my, my, my, this little young lady brought her own archery set!" The salesman was looking at the bow and quiver swung on her back. "How adorable!" He clapped his hands, and Merida turned to look at Hiccup, who mouthed, Give him hell.
So Merida did. "What are yer rules?"
"Stay behind this line." The man motioned to the line that Merida was required to stand behind. "And hit all three targets! Highest accuracy wins. So far, out of the many contestants of today, the highest result was from-"
"I don't care. How did they score?"
"One arrow in the ring right around bull's-eye and two arrows on the ring just outside that. Do you think you can- whoop! There she goes. Bull's-eye! First target bull's-eye! Ladies and gentleman, we have a sweet prodigious lady-archer!"
"Loki of Asgard," Hiccup exclaimed in frustration. "Would you stop narrating?"
Merida was laughing as she released the second arrow, but it still pierced the second bull's-eye with incredible accuracy. "How adorable!" Merida droned.
"Second bull's-eye!" the salesman exclaimed. "That's-" The stink-eye from Hiccup shut him right up.
On the third target, Merida imagined Pitch's cold, golden eyeball staring back at her instead of the eye of some figurative bull. Sure enough…
"Three bull's-eyes! We win! We win! Ha! We win!" Hiccup screamed in the salesman's face.
"Ah… yes, but there's still the possibility someone can score higher… well, equally. But three bull's-eyes… still, I have to keep the window open."
"If this is a scam-"
"Hiccup, it's ok." Merida pulled him away. "Even if it is, it's not like I wasted me money." She retrieved her arrows. "Or me arrows. Just two minutes o' me time. C'mon. We'll figure somethin' out to stay at some inn."
Merida and Hiccup turned to see the salesman talking to another professional-looking businessman, who guffawed as he clutched his potbelly. "Well, why not?" The man turned to Merida. "Redhead! Come on over! You won you and your husband here one lovely room at the Lavender Lights Lodge for three nights!"
"Uh…" Hiccup's face paled.
"We're not married," Merida protested. "Yet, anyways."
"Technically," Hiccup muttered.
"Yeah," she said.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Oh!" The businessman flipped his hand in a nonchalant manner. "That didn't stop me. Technicalities, technicalities!"
"You don't understand," Hiccup protested. "We have a third friend who's supposed to be joining us tonight-"
"Oh!" the salesperson laughed. "I understand perfectly!"
"Hiccup…" Merida started, knowing he didn't understand where the salesman and businessman were getting at.
"Exactly," Hiccup said. "So two rooms."
"Why would you need two rooms for that?" The businessman chuckled, and he and the salesperson exploded with laughter.
"I don't get it," Hiccup muttered. Merida just face-palmed. "One room for you and Jack and I won't mind sharing."
"Technically, Jack doesn't need a room. He doesn't sleep, ye know? Just one for ye and another for me. Ye didn't need to mention the third party."
"Whoops." Hiccup shrugged, still not getting it.
"We'll have one room ready for you this evening," the businessman spread his hands apart accommodatingly. "Large bed for all three of you."
"What is he-?" And then Hiccup finally got it.
"Yer not a talker, me boy," Merida said, patting his upper arm. She turned back to the salesperson and the businessman. "Could ye give us directions to the Lavender… what was it? Lavender Lights Lodge for this evenin'?"
"Oh, tourists!" The businessman walked a few feet away to a store and grabbed a map from the front that Merida had to assume was just free. "Here's an entire map of Corona! You're standing here… and the Triple L is here! Perfect for parties of three!"
"Yeah, we got it," Hiccup blushed, folding the map. "Well, 'k, thanks, bye."
Merida laughed as she ran after Hiccup down the street. "Calm down, would ye?"
"I'm horribly embarrassed."
"Don't be. After all, if we're goin' to be married, it's important for me to see both yer good an' yer awkward sides."
"Well, yeah, but why don't you have any bad sides?"
She blushed. "An' that's yer good side."
In a hesitant, awkward move, Hiccup took Merida's hand. She gently squeezed his back. They continued walking down the road in silence, mainly trying to learn the kingdom without the map. They pointed out landmarks to one another and just enjoyed being. Finally, getting into the heart of the village, they appeared at a rundown barn with a mooing coming from the back. "Milk Shack," Hiccup read from the sign. Suddenly, his eyes laid on something. "Jack's staff."
Merida thought that was some cheesy exclamatory phrase Hiccup would say, like "Loki of Asgard" or "Thor almighty", for instance. She was about to laugh as he ripped his hand away and charged a couples paces ahead to the front of the barn, where Jack's staff leaned against the wall. Hiccup gripped it in his left hand. Jack always held in it his right hand. The whole thing seemed too wrong.
Merida charged around behind the barn, where she saw an old man sitting on a stool, milking a cow. "Where's Jack?" she growled. She heard Hiccup charge in behind her with the staff. The man stood up and smiled.
"Oh, goody, customers! And what may I get for you today, ma'am? Sir?"
His voice had an elderly grit to it that made Merida's heart settle. "Where's our friend, Jack? This is his staff."
Hiccup held up the long wooden stick. "Six feet of wood here with a shepherd's crook at the end. I know my best friend's staff when I see my best friend's staff."
The old man narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Well, I'm a mean, mean old man! I never asked that sonny for his name! Does 'Jack' have stark white hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and a blue hoodie? Why, that poor young man was barefoot!" The old man's face contorted with guilt. "Now, why didn't I get that young orphan boy some shoes?"
Merida turned to Hiccup in confusion. Everything was right except for the orphan part. "Um," Hiccup started, "I…" He cleared his throat and shared a look with Merida that said: Just go with it. "Where'd he go?"
"You two are good friends of that wonderful young man?"
Merida smiled. Jack could be a charmer if he really tried. And he said all adults hated him. "Yes. We are."
"Well, you do know he's looking for his parents?" Merida and Hiccup nodded unconvincingly, but it was enough for the old man. "So… I sent him to the palace with my milk delivery, hoping he might get access to look through records for his biological mother. Somehow, he's already figured out her last name." The old man had a devilish, youthful grin.
"Gothel," Hiccup guessed. Merida inhaled slowly. Jack was smart. Rapunzel was seriously rubbing off on him. She supported them going out more than ever before. "Did he say that the woman's last name was Gothel?"
"Yes; so you know. I'd assume the boy will come back here to get his staff, but you might want to hold onto it for safekeeping. If you want to find him, that's fine, but please, let me treat you to a nice glass of cold milk first!"
Merida and Hiccup followed the old man inside the barn, where an ice bin laid tucked in the corner. Glass bottles were filled smooth, soft, rich milk. Hiccup grabbed two and handed one to Merida, and Merida felt she'd never drunk anything more delicious or satisfying in her entire life. It was as if her insides chilled immediately while her skin stayed warm and comforting, like curling up in a blanket during the winter. "Thank-ye, sir. This milk is amazin'," Merida managed between gulps.
His eyes widened. "You really think so?"
Hiccup raised his glass. "This is the best I've ever tasted."
"Well, you two and your friend, that Jack boy, can stop by for free milk anytime you'd like. And if you ever need any cash whatsoever, let me know. I'd be glad to help."
Jack must've made a really good impression. "Wow. Thank-ye very much, sir," Merida said. "An' yer name is…"
The old man flipped his hand nonchalantly. "Call me Papa. That's what the boys at the orphanage I used to run called me." Papa shared a charming smile as he cocked his head to one side endearingly. "And your names are?"
"Nothing?" Hiccup protested.
"Nothing." Jack shrugged. "I can't find any records on anyone named 'Gothel'. I tried multiple spellings and probably stayed in that records room a little too long. I don't know how I didn't get caught. Anyway," Jack curled both hands around the staff. "It's a good thing you found this. I don't know what I'd do… and you got us free milk and an endless supply of cash. And you got yourselves a room. Wow. You two accomplished so much, and I wasted the day in a records room."
"Jack, don't say that." Merida yawned and looked up into the night sky. "Ye think Toothless will be ok? He's goin' to be alone for three whole nights."
"He's not in the sky," Hiccup chuckled. "Remember, he can't fly without me? He can only glide through the air. There's no way he could take off or land. He's really good at blending in with darkness, though. He'll be running around the forest like crazy. No one will be able to find him."
"Not even me?" Jack smiled deviously. "I'm going to be alone for three whole nights, too!"
"I'm sure if you call, Toothless will respond," Hiccup reassured Jack.
"Nah. I don't think your dragon likes me too much, man."
That was true. That didn't mean Hiccup had to admit it. But Toothless didn't hate Jack, either. "Of course Toothless will tease you. He'll be hard to find. Remember, he needs an hour of sleep every night-"
"Whoa, dude, you sound like a single father conducting a babysitter on how to take care of his child!" Jack threw one hand in the air, still gripping the staff with the other. Even though his skin was white already, his knuckles somehow grew whiter. "I'm off. And you two… have fun tonight."
Jack flew off. Hiccup almost called after him when Merida warned him. "He just wants a reaction. Trust me. Me three wee brothers at home do the same thing all the time at home."
"Yeah… how are they?" Hiccup said, trying to break the awkward.
"Well, considerin' ye've been to me home more than I have the past few months, how would I know?" Merida just laughed, and Hiccup blushed.
"Well, that's good to hear!" Hiccup joked, shrugging casually. "So… you remember the way to the 'Triple L'?" he said, mocking the previous encounters of that day. As Merida began reeling off the directions as they walked faster and faster through the city, Hiccup became more agitated. They were going to a tavern. They were going to sleep in the same bed. Together. Did Merida expect anything? Did she want him to stay on his side and not make a single move for risk of losing both his hands and maybe a foot if he were lucky? Did she prefer a side? Was he supposed to pick a side? These were the questions of married life no one ever went over with you that just screws everything up. Then again, it was probably only right to let Merida take the bed and sleep on the floor.
"See? It's right up ahead. Told ye I knew a shortcut."
"And I never doubted you," Hiccup added as they entered the inn. He had to admit the salesman had been right; the natural pink light from the sunset poured in through windows, making the purple furniture glitter enticingly under the eye. The place practically screamed: Hey! We're tourists here in Corona! Take our money! Luckily, they'd won those three nights free.
"Where's the third party?" the businessman joked. Hiccup turned to see him behind the counter, chuckling.
"I was joking about that," Hiccup said, getting a creepy vibe from the man. He took Merida's hand for reassurance, and then realized that could be interpreted as creepy, too. Luckily, she didn't pull away. "Do we still get a free room?"
Hiccup was lucky to catch the keys in his free hand as the businessman tossed them coolly. "Better yet, you get a suite! Just go down that hall and go up those stairs until you reach the top. Find the double doors at the end of the hall. And viola! Do have a nice stay. And tell your friends back home! Tell everybody about the Triple L…"
To be nice, Hiccup and Merida listened to the rant before heading up the wooden spiral staircase. "Wow. What a tall tavern! Four stories…" Hiccup muttered.
"An' we're at the very top. I hate climbin' stairs."
"Oh, man, am I supposed to carry you? I'm weak."
Hiccup loved saying things that made her laugh. "O' course not. An' yer not weak. I'd have to admit, yer packin' on a bit of muscle."
"Really?" Hiccup looked down at himself and smiled with shy pride. He'd been looking in the mirror recently at Hufflepuff Basement, thinking to himself that he did look better, but he wasn't sure if that was just his hope tricking him into seeing things that weren't there. But he'd leveled out his height with Jack. He really was putting on muscle. And, best of all, he was starting to get that trademark Viking jawline that everyone back home had except for him. Hiccup genuinely felt his father was going to be surprised when Hiccup came home. Puberty had finally been good to him. Hey, better late than never.
"Would I lie to ye?"
"Nah. You're more of the brutally honest type."
"Not sorry."
"Exactly." Hiccup laughed, hoping ignoring the awkward would abolish it. "I think we're here. Top floor." Sure enough, aspen wood double doors greeted them down the narrow hall. Fumbling with the keys like a fool, he managed to unlock the doors of the room, which swung out into the hall. Hiccup only found that out after minutes of pushing on the doors.
Merida walked in first. "This place is amazin'." She continued pacing around the room, refusing to look at Hiccup. He was sure that even if she did look at him, he'd just look away bashfully.
Hiccup yawned. "I'm pretty tired. I'm going to go ahead and crash."
"Sure. Bed's over there."
Hiccup's head snapped up. "You take the bed. You're not sleeping on the floor!"
"An' neither are ye." She finally turned around to look at him with those piercing blue eyes. "We can share. Ye have a problem?"
There was absolutely, positively no problem at all whatsoever in that arrangement. "Are you sure you-?"
"Just get in bed!" Merida said with an exasperated tone, throwing her hands in the air. "Would it make ye feel better if ye were the gentleman an' let me pick me side?"
"Actually, yes, that would."
Rolling her eyes, Merida flipped the covers open, sat down on the right side of the bed, and kicked off her shoes. "Guess we're goin' to have to sleep in our clothes."
Hiccup was already taking off his shirt. "Oh… are you bothered if I just sleep in… never mind."
"No, ye go ahead. Doesn't bother me."
Hiccup avoided eye contact as he moved to the left side of the bed, the unoccupied side, and began undressing. He folded his shirt neatly, keeping only his pants on his body. "You know… if you're wearing something underneath that dress, and it'd be more comfortable than… it doesn't look comfortable to sleep in a dress, anyways. You can have my shirt if it would make you feel any better."
Merida smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. Kind o' would." Tossing his shirt over, Hiccup pretended to be engrossed with the swirling designs of the mauve sheets as Merida changed quickly, not bothering to fold her clothes as she tossed her blue-green dress onto the floor offhandedly. "Thank-ye, by the way."
"No problem." The candle on the nightstand of Hiccup's side of the bed had been lit by the workers of the lodge, and asking Merida if it was ok, he went ahead and blew it out. The room was dark and silent. They laid on their backs far apart, side-by-side.
"We're goin' to have to get used to this," Merida said, laughing softly.
Hiccup smiled, turning his head toward her. "Do I make you uncomfortable?"
"O' course not. Are ye kiddin' me? I feel safest when I'm 'round ye. Together, we're goin' to lead the greatest kingdom ever." As his eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, Hiccup saw Merida smile to herself.
"Lead a kingdom."
"I'm anxious 'bout it all, too."
"No. I'm not… well, yeah, I'm scared to lead a kingdom, but that's not what I meant when I said that." Merida waited for him to explain. "We're going to lead a great kingdom. You will, at least. I'll be the supportive house-husband." Merida chuckled as he continued. "But what I'm excited about…" It sounded stupid, but Hiccup had already started blabbing. "I can't wait to be a father."
Hiccup turned onto his side to fully face Merida, who turned around to face him as well. "I can see that in ye." She smiled and allowed him to indulge in his daydreams. "Do ye want sons or daughters?"
"Both."
"Both?" She repeated.
"Yeah. At least one of each, maybe three kids total."
"Only three, eh?"
"I want to have that special time for each of them individually and be a good father that's always there to listen and teach and support and lead…"
"An' why is that such a big goal o' yours?" she asked.
Hiccup frowned. Even in the innocence of the setting, there was an intimacy that made him want to spill out his life problems to Merida. He wanted to bond with her and trust her with everything. "I don't want my kids to be like me."
Merida's eyes burst open. "Hiccup, ye don't dare say that! If I have any say, I'd want kids more like ye than me: gentle, sweet, carin', and trustworthy. What do ye mean, ye don't want them like ye?"
"I don't want them to have to struggle with the things I struggle with," he blurted.
In the silence, he feared Merida would judge him. But he knew she was better than that. "We all struggle with somethin', Hiccup. An' I don't see yer flaws-"
"Well, we're getting married, so you'll see them soon enough," Hiccup snapped. "I have remarkably low self-esteem, cowardice, and daftness."
Silence. "Hiccup, ye…" But she didn't have anything to say. "Yer brave an' loyal an' clever. Nothin' ye said is true."
Hiccup tried not to be brash. "And the low self-esteem?"
"I always knew ye were humble."
"And people see humility as a good quality. So they don't see the major flaw I struggle with everyday."
"I don't know why ye would struggle with such a thing. Ye've tamed a dragon, yer the glue an' brains that hold us together in Rapunzel's absence, an' yer the most reliable out o' all o' us. Ye see so much good in everybody when yer so much better. Not to mention… Hiccup, over the last few months, ye've been gettin' mighty handsome."
"Merida!" Hiccup protested, blushing violently.
"But I'm touched ye'd trust me with what ye struggle with."
"I don't expect you to fix it or give me life-saving advice. Just to listen."
"An' that I promise I'll always do. But… Hiccup, ye came to trust me with this while talkin' 'bout how ye couldn't wait to be a father one day. Does this have anythin' to do with…?" Hiccup blushed. Merida had great intuition when it came to family. Hell, she should. She had a large family and plenty of years with them.
"My father's always been really harsh." Hiccup's voice was small. "I feel so unappreciative of all he's done for me, but I feel like… now would be a good time to tell you I suck with words."
"As do we all. An', Hiccup, parents aren't perfect. Ye shouldn't scrutinize them, o' course, but acknowledgin' they did somethin' wrong in upraisin' ye is only natural. It's how the human race works. Appreciate all yer father's done for ye an' taught ye. An' when it's yer turn to lead a new generation, ye can learn from him what to do an' not to do. An' we'll make mistakes with our kids, too. But they'll learn from us."
Hiccup smiled at her. Without prying, his fiancée made him feel better about the majority of his life's doubts and worries. She understood him. "I love you," he sighed. She whispered the same message back. And, closing his eyes, Hiccup drifted off.