Finally in her parents room, Merida gave her mother an odd look as she went right to their closet. "Mum what was that about?"
"You will be getting married in two days. Don't think that you are going to get out of tradition for that. I won't have it, or I will do all I can to stop the wedding is that clear young lady?" Eleanor than began to throw things out of the closet left and right looking for something.
Watching as the pile of dresses got bigger and bigger, Merida blinked. "Well most of it. But not all of it Mum. I will go along with all of it, but under my dress I am going to have my pants on."
Turning with a box in her hands, Eleanor glared as she stormed out of the closet and glared at her daughter. "You will do no such…."
Rolling her eyes Merida groaned. "I will wear the dress mum. The pants that I have on now, nice and slim, right against my legs, no one will know but you and me that I have them on. Or do you want me to let everyone in our Kingdom and Berk see everything I got when we fly off from the wedding on the dragons?"
Gasping as she stopped, Eleanor hadn't thought about that. Flying on a dragon had to be different than ridding on a horse. With a sigh as she looked down at the rather tight pair of pants she had on, Eleanor sighed as she sat the box down on the bed. "Very well. But could you please humor me and not let this dress get damaged when you fly off. It has been in our family for generations."
Moving over to get closer to her mother as she untied the cloth that held the box closed, Merida gasped when she started to lift up the dress. It was beautiful! She had never seen a dress that snow white in her life! It had a low cut top, with the same kind of ties in the front as in the back. The neckline, and either side of the ties were trimmed in royal blue with little white crests for Clan Dunbroch on it, and around the waist.
From the shoulders down to the elbow was the same solid white, but from the elbows to the writs it was a sheer white, even the extra that hung off the back of her arm to her knees was that same sheer white. The way the waist moved over her hips, was trimmed in the same royal blue with her clan crest on it. From the waist down, it was the same snow white, but an even lighter looking material than the rest of it. The very front of the dress at the bottom cut off just before the ground, and the sides and back looked like it would lay just barely on the ground around her.
Moving over to take the dress Merida smiled as she turned to a mirror and held it up to herself. "This is beautiful mum!"
"I wore that the day that I married your father. It has been the wedding dress passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Going all the way back to your great, great, great, great grandmother who had it made." Smiling as her eyes misted, Eleanor watched as her daughter smiled as she looked down at the dress. "It also has a head wrap and a veil for it."
Turning soft eyes back to her mother, Merida sighed. "I will make you a deal mum. Hiccup loves my hair, and how wild it is. Don't push the head wrap to try and hide my hair, and I will wear the veil, and I will change before we leave and let Valka take the dress with her so nothing happens to it."
Smiling, Eleanor sighed. She wished she would wear it as it was meant to be worn, but she would go with that. So she wouldn't have to watch her fly off with it on while she was on a dragon. "I think that we can agree to that."
Handing the dress to Valka, Merida smiled as she went to her mom and hugged her. "Thanks mum."
"Well come on. Put it on and let's see how it fits."
Turning to see her father walking in the room, Merida blinked. "Right now?"
Nodding as he crossed his arms, Fergus smiled. "Yes right now. I am going to help Stoic keep that boy of yours busy for the next two days while you and your mother cram it and get the wedding really going. I wanna see you in it before that day. Now come on."
Smiling, Merida didn't have to be asked twice as she grabbed the dress from Valka and then her mother's hand and out the door to her room across the hall. She couldn't believe that this was happening, and now knowing that there was no big fight looming, she could actually enjoy this!
Eleanor smiled and laughed with her daughter as they dressed her in the dress. Placing the small tiara on her daughter's hair, she used a few pins to hold it in place against her hair and then draped it over her face, and let the long part fall down past her behind. Standing back, she smiled as a few tears streamed out of her eyes. "It fits you perfectly. You are a vision in that dress Merida."
Looking in her mirror, Merida smiled as she pictured Hiccup's face when he saw it in a couple of days. Looking over at her mother she smiled as she took a deep breath. "Thank you mum. I love it. I never knew you had it though."
Going and standing behind her, Eleanor reached around and lifted her veil for her. "I never said anything because the last time that marriage came up about you, things were not exactly easy with you then if you remember."
Smiling, Merida turned to go toward the door with her mother's hand in hers. "I think I know why though mom." Stopping at the door she winked over her shoulder as she smiled. "I wasn't meant to marry between the clans like you wanted two years ago. My fate, was to fall in love and marry a dragon master." She then laughed as she rushed across the hall and in her parents room. "Dad….."
Standing there with a small smile and tears in his eyes, Fergus sighed. "You are beautiful."
Going to him and hugging him, Merida smiled as she let a few tears fall from her own eyes. "Thanks dad." Looking back at her mother, she wiped her eyes. "Mum. Thank you so much for saying yes. I love you both so much, and I love him with all my heart. I couldn't be happier right now."
Laughing as he kissed the side of his daughter's head, Fergus smiled as he patted her head. "You think that now love. Just wait until you have a baby with him."
"Dad!" Her face turning red Merida dropped her head to hide it with her hair. "You aren't supposed to talk to me about stuff like that!"
Laughing, Fergus hugged his daughter one more time then headed for the door. "I am sorry. Now I am going to go and get that future husband of yours. I gotta pick on him some before the wedding right?" He then left through the door.
With a sigh as she laughed, Merida went over to the mirror and sighed as she looked at herself in the dress again. "I really do love this dress mum. I can't wait to get married in it."
X
By that night, with Merida focused, and for the first time in a long time on the same page as her mother, they were able to get things done fast. Everything was done, but the actual ceremony. Which Merida graciously agreed to give it one more day before they got married.
Now sitting on her balcony, Eleanor took a deep breath as she hugged herself. She knew that one day her daughter would get married and leave home. And that once she did, she wouldn't be able to know everything that happened with her each day. But at the same time, it made her sad. The only solace she had right now was knowing where she was going and how well she would be treated there.
"She will be back to visit Eleanor you know that. And once we get word that she is pregnant we will be at Berk for her to have the baby." Walking out and pulling his wife into his arms, Fergus smiled down at her half glaring face. "You know it is going to happen."
"I know. I just can't believe that my little girl is really going to be getting married. Starting her own family." With a sigh as she leaned in and put her head on her husband's chest. "I know it is how things are done when your child gets married. But with everything that happened two years ago, I really thought that I would have had more time with her."
Looking up as a shooting star fell from the sky, Fergus sighed. "I know dear. But fate has it's own plan for our daughter. Come on. Come in."
Letting him lift her in his arms, Eleanor took a deep breath as she smiled. The relationship that Merida had with Hiccup was as strong as her relationship with her father. 'My little girl. At least you will have a loving family, and a devoted husband. That is all I can really ask for you now.'
