A New Destination

Despite Stoick speaking to her, Merida was as lifeless as ever. She agreed to move with them to the Dingwall Clan, but neither her mouth nor eyes said anything. One of the Dingwall men offered her their horse, but she walked a slow and steady pace with the defeated people.

Since they started the hike, Hiccup made sure to stay by Merida and keep her safe. Unfortunately his own mood didn't improve, especially when he learned that two of his own dragon riders were missing in action.

They day began to fade quickly, especially since they had a late start anyway, and the company set up camp in a small area of the woods. They stopped by a small stream so everyone could drink, wash, or tend to their wounds.

Once again, they had a small stew to pass around, and once again, Merida ate none of it. Hiccup had given her a bowl, but she offered it to someone else who took it graciously.

"So," Alan said as he ladled out a bowl for himself, "What's th' next move?"

Hiccup lowered his spoon to his bowl. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't jus' let those bastard vikings overrun us. We need ta attack."

"We already attacked." said Merida darkly. "An' we paid th' price."

Alan raised his eyebrows at the sound of the princess' voice. "Well, we have more men, Princess. We could rally an army an' go ta th' castle-"

"As soon as we get there, they'd burn th' entire platoon."

"Then what do ye suggest?"

Merida lowered her head. "Nothin'. Let them take what they want."

Neither Alan nor Hiccup could believe their ears. Not able to hear any more, Hiccup got up, took Merida by the arm and dragged her away from the camp.

"What are ye doin'?" she said once he finally let go of her.

"What are you doing? What did I just hear?"

Merida huffed. "Mah honest opinion."

"No, that was you giving up."

"Aye. And if it was?"

Hiccup rubbed his forehead. "Merida, you never give up on anything."

"Things change."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Frustrated, he leaned his head against a tree. After a while, he turned back to the princess. "I'm sorry. A lot has happened, and you lost a lot. I-…but now isn't the time to give up."

"There's nothin' left ta fight for."

Sighing, Hiccup shook his head. He gently took her hand and pressed it to her chest. "Do you feel that?" he said.

She nodded.

"You have life. You have strength. You have people who look up to you." He took her shoulders. "You have people willing to fight and die for you. Don't let those who already lost their lives die in vain."

She sighed. "What right do ah have ta lead them into an attack? They'd all be slaughtered."

"Who said we had to lead an attack?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Well…how else are we supposed ta fight?"

"We don't have to fight either…just change our fate."

Merida's eyes lit up. Before anyone knew, the two of them grabbed a horse and sped off deep into the woods as fast as they could.

Drago's Quest

It was a good long while before all the ships were ready to depart. Men ran all around the docks and castle in order to get everything according to Drago's schedule. They hauled barrels and crates as well as livestock into the large ships filling the bay.

Through the direction of Drago, all the dragons either crawled or flew onto the ships where they were put in traps or tied down with rope or chains.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were led onto the largest ship where the Alpha lay just beneath to point the way. Their legs were free of iron, but their hands were now bound with shackles and many guards kept them at spear point. Drago was waiting for them at the head of the ship with a dark grimace on his face. Next to him, Eret stood barking orders to many of the men.

"So," Eret started after he was done yelling, "I presume we're in for a long journey."

Drago grunted. "No. You're going to stay here."

Eret raised his eyebrows. "What? I thought-"

"You're going to stay here so you don't mess anything up when we get to Berk." He didn't look at Eret, but his eyes scanned the ship darkly.

Eret sighed. "Look, if it's about the intruders, I had everything under control."

Turning to face him, Drago towered over Eret so he blocked out every inch of sun on his body.

"Well…that doesn't mean I can't stay here." Eret said sheepishly. Coughing, he turned and made his way to the dock. As she passed by, Ruffnut tossed him a smirk. Suddenly he didn't feel so bad about getting off the boat.

The twins were shoved toward Drago, and with their hands bound, they pointed in the direction they came from.

"There's like, three islands along the way, but Berk's that way." Tuffnut said.

"We think so anyway. We were flying when we came." Ruffnut shrugged.

Before they could say anything else, Drago ordered them below deck. Just as all preparations ended, they began the long journey.

Surge of Hope

Hiccup cursed under his breath as they made yet another jump through the shady glen. In an instant, he and the princess rushed off to a dark part of the woods in order to find a witch.

"I forgot how much of a pain horseback riding is." Hiccup groaned. His entire lower body was in pain as they bounded on as fast as they could.

"We're almost there." said Merida, shouting to him over her shoulder.

Had Hiccup not encountered the witch on his first visit to DunBroch, he probably would never have suggested going to find her. If he had just made presumptions based on Merida's tale, he wouldn't have expected someone so inviting and homely. But he knew the witch. He knew how she was, and that she could help.

"Hiccup," Merida said, "What if she can't help us? Ah only know of one spell she has, an' for all we know she may not even be there."

Hiccup sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

They kept riding on and on, the horse snorting as it ran. After a long while they came to a large clearing. Merida pulled on the reigns, allowing the horse to slow down and stop right in the middle of a ring of stones.

Sliding off the horse, the princess took in her surroundings, breathing in the air and feeling the atmosphere. Hiccup slid off as well, groaning as the entire lower half of his body screamed at him.

Merida turned her attention to one specific stone. Unlike all the others which were long and standing upright, this one had broken and fallen down. Walking toward it, she could remember everything tied to this one stone. It was with this stone that her mother defeated the legendary bear, Mor'du.

Closing her eyes, she kneeled before the rock. She remembered how she turned her mother into a bear, how she fought to change her back, how her mother fought harder to save her…

She opened her eyes quickly once she realized how much pain the memories caused her, so she stood and began walking toward the witch's cottage.

Red is the Rose

Hiccup only had a few second to explain to Astrid where he and Merida went before they took off, but she didn't question anything. She was used to Hiccup's sudden adventures and decided to turn her attention to the unconscious Thuggory.

He never woke since the battle, but she figured it was for the best. It was easier to treat his burns with him asleep, especially since he would want to take care of himself.

Astrid chuckled to herself, remembering how this was the second time she had to treat an unconscious, burned patient since recently. Merida was the first. Burns weren't uncommon on Berk, but to have a sleeping subject with such severe injuries was frightening.

Not long after Hiccup and Merida left, the sun descended and the viking fell asleep. She dreamed of nothing as she lied down near the cart where Thuggory lay. The cold began to consume her as she slept, so she pulled her fur hood over her ears.

Despite her ears being covered, it didn't shelter her from the noises outside. She woke up twice to someone in the camp crying out or screaming from a dream, but she always fell asleep after it was all over.

However one cry caught her attention. At first when she woke, all she heard was moaning and she closed her eyes, dismissing it as someone's night terror. But then she realized where the noise was coming from.

Jolting upward, she looked into the cart to see Thuggory moan just before coughing. Quickly, she rushed to his side.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy." Astrid said as he continued to cough. Finally, his throat cleared and he breathed normally.

"Am I dead?" He said with his eyes still closed.

Astrid giggled. "No, you chucklehead."

He opened his eyes to the darkness of night. "Oh…" He looked at the sky with weary eyes. "It's really dark out."

"Yeah, everyone's supposed to be asleep."

"I don't wanna sleep."

She sighed and sat on the cart next to him. "Then what do you want to do?"

He tried to shrug his shoulders as best he could, but all it did was bring pain. He breathed in harshly through his teeth, and immediately Astrid leaned over and inspected his burns. Figuring it was time to change his bandages anyway, she grabbed some clean cloths.

Thuggory watched as she worked, and a few times he tried to help, but if he tried to lift his right arm or move one muscle on his right side, he clenched up in pain. So he lay helplessly as Astrid carefully removed what bandages she could and cleaned him up.

A bit bored, he opened his mouth and began to sing.

"Come over the hills, my bonny viking lass."

Astrid stopped cleaning his wound and looked at him through the darkness.

"Come over the hills, to you darling.

You choose the road, love, and I'll make the vow.

And I'll be your true love forever."

He smiled at her with a half-burned face. For a moment, she just sat there, stunned. But then she smirked at him and continued her work and his song.

"Red is the rose, that in yonder garden grows.

Fair is the lily of the valley.

Clear is the water, that flows from the Boyne."

They sang the last line together.

"But my love is fairer than any."*

Thuggory sighed. "I guess that song doesn't apply to me so much anymore, huh?"

She stopped working and raised an eyebrow at him. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well, I know what happened. I got burned, and it hurts like crazy. So I'll probably get scarred from it."

Sighing, she reached over and placed a hand on his left cheek. "Yeah, it probably will. But that doesn't mean you're not fair." She stroked his cheek with her thumb before resuming her work. "Besides, what viking is ashamed of battle scars?"

He chuckled. "I'm not ashamed of them. They're a reminder of the two people I pulled from the fire."

Astrid's smile fell. Though it was dark, Thuggory could see her expression fade.

"What's wrong?"

She finished wrapping him up then placed her hands on her lap.

"The two people you saved from the fire…died…They didn't survive from the amount of smoke they inhaled."

He said nothing. For a while he just stared into her face, absorbing the truth. Finally, he let his head fall back as he looked up into the night sky. He said and did nothing. He didn't even sleep at all.

A Witch in the Woods

Both Merida and Hiccup had trouble remembering where the witch's cottage was. Neither of them had been there for years, and all the woods were beginning to look the same. The princess kept her ears open, hoping for the wisps to lead them to the cottage, but nothing came. All that entered her ears was the singing birds and the chirping insects who harmonized with the rustling leaves overhead.

Before they re-entered the forest, the horse began to get skittish, so they let him go.

They ventured on for what seemed like hours, wandering an imaginary path. Suddenly, Merida's eyes lit up.

"Ah know this place…" she whispered, her eyes searching for something. Then without any warning, she ran off in an uncharted direction. Hiccup sped after her, nearly tripping over some stray roots and fallen branches.

Not long after, they came across a small, wooden house. It was different than how the princess remembered, but it was exactly the same as Hiccup recalled.

With her heart pounding, Merida pushed open the door. But it wasn't how she remembered it at all. Instead of wooden carvings everywhere or a large, magical cauldron steaming with magic, there was a small kitchen with a bed and a table with a few chairs, all sitting next to a warm fireplace.

"Everything looks the same." said Hiccup, looking around the tiny house.

A sudden realization came to Merida. "Ye've been here before?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, it was four years ago when we went venturing into the woods."

"Hiccup, we went into th' woods many times."

"I'm talking about the time when we got separated. You went off looking for wisps or whatever, and the witch found me and brought me here."

Merida's eyebrows furrowed, trying hard to remember, but it was all for naught. It also didn't help when a small shriek came from behind them.

Quickly turning, they saw a familiar old woman, carrying a few logs in her arms.

"Oh, my." she said. "You gave me quite a scare."

"Uh, sorry." said Hiccup, rubbing the back of his head.

Pushing past them, the witch walked toward her fireplace and dumped her armful of logs to the side.

"I'll admit I wasn't expecting any visitors." she said, placing one of the logs on the fire.

Merida took a step toward her. "We're only here for one thing."

"Oh, princess I know what you're here for. Let me guess," said the witch in a less happy tone, "you want a spell."

Hiccup sighed. "We just want something that can help us. Anything that can help."

The witch finished her work with the fire and pulled out two chairs at the table, gesturing for them to sit.

"We're…kind of in a hurry." said Hiccup. But he sat down anyway.

Humming, the old lady grabbed a couple of mugs from her sink and poured in a mystery drink from a kettle. "I remember you saying you didn't want a spell the first time you came in here." she said, placing the mugs in front of her guests.

"That was years ago." said Hiccup, "Right now the kingdom is under the control of a madman and we need to-"

"Drink up." she said, practically pushing the cup to his lips.

Unable to control the situation, he took a sip from the mug. Gagging, he nearly spat out whatever entered his mouth. It was bitter and smelled like it was made of bark.

"Are ye not listening to us?" Merida said.

Sitting down herself, the witch gestured to the mugs. "I won't help unless you drink it all."

With a soft groan, Merida looked at her cup. Inside was a greenish liquid that didn't look appetizing at all. Both she and Hiccup gave each other a look, then downed the disgusting liquid.

But halfway through his cup, Hiccup screamed and fell over in his chair. He was grasping his left leg in pain and gritting his teeth. Merida ran to him, dropping her mug on the floor.

"What did ye do ta him?" she said harshly.

Sighing, the witch got off her chair. "It must have been quite a wound if it hurts that much."

"What are ye talkin' about?"

Humming a bit, the old woman waited till he stopped writhing in pain before lifting the bandage that secured his arrow wound. Except, there was no arrow wound. His leg had healed over and there was no sign of infection.

Merida's bruises and cuts had healed as well, and the two of them looked at each other in amazement. Chuckling, the witch sat back down.

"Now, then." she said, settling herself. "I know about the kingdom. I am still a citizen after all."

The other two returned to their seat, eager to hear more.

"Though I don't know how much help I'll be."

Merida's eyebrows furrowed again. "What? But yer a witch. Don't ye have some sort of spell or incantation that can help?"

The witch rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm a witch, but that doesn't mean I'm God. I have limits."

Hiccup gave a heavy sigh. "Well, is there some…dragon spell that could help?"

"Dragon spell? Oh, my boy. I didn't know dragons existed till those barbarians came burning the place down."

Merida leaned back in her seat. "Well, that's it. We're sunk."

"Wait," said Hiccup, "what about just animals in general? I know you work with bears, but can something you know help?"

The witch thought hard, closing her eyes. But she just shook her head in defeat. Merida's mouth went slightly agape as she felt everything at once. Anger and sadness boiled up within her for having such a false hope, but the grief of it all surpassed everything else. Pulling her hands to her face, she tried to keep her head from swimming.

"Oh! Wait, wait, wait." the witch got down from her chair and quickly walked out the door. All the hope rushed back to Merida and she followed her out the door with Hiccup trailing behind. After they were outside, the witch snapped her fingers and opened the door again.

This time the room was dark and there were candles everywhere lighting the small house. A black cauldron sat in the middle of the room with books and baskets filled with various objects littering the room.

Hiccup looked around in awe at everything, nearly tripping himself over a small chest.

The witch clambered over a variety of objects, then crawled under a small table littered with dead animals, roots and plants of every kind. They could hear her pushing things aside and digging around under the desk till she exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh ho! Here it is!"

She came back out with a large book. It was dusty and covered in something greasy, but they could make out the cover was a dark red. After dusting herself off, she threw the book on the table scattering some of the other items. Standing on a stool, she opened the book and flipped the pages rapidly.

"What is this?" Merida said, peering over her shoulder.

"What, you think every witch is just born with knowledge of spells and potions?"

The pages continued to flip till she stopped them and blew hard against the dusty pages.

"Now then, there are all kinds of spells with animals. There are plenty on turning into a specific animal."

"We'd like ta avoid reliving th' past." Merida said slowly.

"Oh, not all are exactly like your bear spell dearie. There are also spells to give you the instincts of an animal. Or perhaps you'd like to turn animals to stone?"

"Okay, something that won't hurt the dragons please." Hiccup said, trying to read the small text.

The witch sighed. "I could give you the wings of a bird, or the tail of a fish. You could talk to certain animals. I could raise animals from the dead."

As she continued speaking, an idea suddenly came to Hiccup's mind.

"Wait, what was that one before?" he said.

"Hiccup, we are not raising animals from th' dead."

"No, no, no. The one about talking to animals."

The witch looked back to her book. "I don't see why you would need that one."

But Merida understood. She had been there at the battle scene, and she saw what the Alpha did to all the other dragons. Her eyes lit up and she looked to Hiccup.

"If I can talk to Toothless, then maybe I could snap him out of the Alpha's control."

"All depends on how th' spell works." Merida said.

Both of the turned back to the old woman, who was completely lost in the conversation.

"Ah…well it's a wee bit more tricky than the last spell you had me do. Unfortunately, how this spell works requires two subjects. You and the animal you wish to communicate with."

"If he just gives it ta one dragon, would he be able to communicate with all dragons?"

"Well, no. At least, with my experience with rats and squirrels, you can only communicate with the one animal who takes the spell." the witch shrugged her shoulders innocently.

Hiccup sighed, but the news didn't shroud his confidence. "Then we better make sure Toothless get this spell." He nodded to Merida, who gave him a worried look. She was concerned about Hiccup being a part of the spell, mostly because the last spell she encountered wasn't what she expected.

"Well, if you've made up your minds, I best get working."

The old woman got off her stood and set off to making the spell. Snapping her finger, a fire lit beneath the large cauldron. Next she set out to find the various ingredients for the spell. She kept referring back to the book so she didn't mess up, but otherwise she seemed rather lighthearted about her work.

"Spit." she said at one point, holding a jar to Hiccup's face. Hesitantly, he gave up some of his saliva before she mixed it with some odd powder and dumped the mixture in the cauldron.

It seemed the more ingredients she added, the brighter the potion got. Finally she added one last ingredient and the cauldron glowed a burning red before settling as a soft, green liquid.

"Alrighty now." said the witch, and using a long ladle she poured some of the spell into two flasks. One, she handed to Hiccup, the other she stopped with a cork.

Hiccup held the flask away from him, as if he expected it to explode.

"Do I drink it now?" he said.

"It doesn't really matter when. So you best just get it over with." the old woman said, handing the other flask to Merida.

Slowly, he sniffed the liquid, but he couldn't detect anything. Reluctantly, he poured it into his mouth and swallowed hard. Unexpectedly, he tasted nothing. It didn't even feel like anything had entered his mouth. Confused, he gulped again just to make sure he swallowed it.

Merida raised an eyebrow at him. "How do ye feel?" she said.

"Mm…okay I guess." he said, placing the flask on a desk nearby.

Unconvinced, Merida turned to the witch. "He'll start having stomach pains, won't he?"

The old lady chuckled at her. "No. Transformation spells are much different than communication."

The princess looked back to Hiccup, who shrugged. She sighed and nodded, satisfied he was alright. Then she turned back to the old woman.

"Right, name yer price." she said.

The witch raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, c'mon. Ye wouldn't even admit ye were a witch till ah offered ye somethin'. Now what do ye want?"

The witch's mouth gaped, insulted. "I may be an business woman, but that does NOT mean I won't help when my country is in need!"

But Merida just raised an eyebrow and stared the old woman down, who sighed exasperatedly.

"Look, to show my good intentions, I'll let the two of you stay the night."

"That's a nice thought," said Hiccup. "But we should get going as soon as possible and put this plan into action."

The witch shrugged. "But I wouldn't go out after dark. The woods can be mighty treacherous."

"Thank you, we'll make sure ta stop when it gets dark." said Merida, opening the door to leave.

But both she and Hiccup stopped once they looked outside. The sky was blackened and the stars were peeking through the leafy canopy.

"Wha- It was th' middle of th' day just a few minutes ago!" she exclaimed. But as they looked around, there was no denying it was the dead of night. Crickets chirped from all around them as the wind whistled through the bushes and trees.

Not a moment later, the witch shoved the both of them outside, snapped her fingers and entered the cottage, revealing its homely nature again. Chuckling at the two of them, she gestured over to a wash bucket next to her stove.

"Wash up for dinner now. Oh my, I haven't cooked for this many people in years."

A Few Hours Later

"Well, you two best get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow!"

After they finished dinner, the witch gathered all the dishes and threw them in a pile. Afterward, she walked to the door and went outside.

"Where are ye going'?" said Merida.

"Woodcarving. It's never too late to enjoy yourself doing your favorite hobby." Chuckling, she closed the door. Both Merida and Hiccup rushed to the window to see her, but all they saw was the black of night.

"Well, she's right about one thing." said Hiccup. "We should get some rest. We can leave as soon as the sun comes up."

Merida nodded, then without a word curled up next to the fireplace.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Hiccup said slowly. "The bed is over there."

The princess lifted her head to see it, then laid back down. "Mm…you can have it."

Hiccup shook his head. "No, you should take it. You deserve it and I'm used to sleeping on hard surfaces."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Merida sat up. "What do ye mean 'I deserve it'?"

The viking was stunned. "Uh…well I-…I just meant-"

"What exactly did ah do ta deserve sleeping in th' bed?"

"Wha-…nothing but-"

"Exactly; nothing." turning her back to him she lied back down on the hard floor.

Hiccup sighed, mentally slapping himself in the face. A bit agitated, he took one of the chairs at the table and sat so he could rest his head on the back. As he waited for sleep to overcome him, he looked after Merida as she rested by the fire. He watched as the light from the flames reflected off her body and into his eyes. Soon he could see her breathing steady into a slow pace as she drifted into a deep slumber.

After a while of seeing her like this, he went over to make sure she was asleep. Sure enough, her eyes were closed and her body was limp. Carefully, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He tried to be as gentle as possible so she wouldn't wake as he rested her head on the pillow and wrapped her in the covers.

After he was done, he went back to his chair and sat down. With sad eyes, he continued to watch over her. He was amazed how she could look so peaceful after everything that had been done, and he wondered if she would ever look so peaceful when she's awake.

His mind drifted to when they were children. He had been doing this a lot recently, especially when Merida was near, but he always thought to how they laughed, how they joked, and how they smiled.

He missed her laugh; her jokes; her smile. Closing his eyes, he knew he would probably never hear or see such things again. He chuckled at how she would throw snowballs at him randomly as he worked, or how she'd go into the smithy and talk to him, or how she'd toss food at him during dinner.

He remembered how they would go to the library and read, or chase each other down through the hallways, or just venture though the woods. But as soon as he opened his eyes, all he saw was someone who looked like the Merida he knew.

Though once he opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong. Merida was sitting up straight, looking at nothing with silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You're awake." he said, lifting his head and stretching his muscles.

She said nothing for a while; she didn't even look at him.

"You okay?" he said, squinting his eyes to see her better. It had gotten so late, the fire died down and only gave a soft light.

"I'm scared." she said.

Hiccup stood up and walked over, sitting at the foot of the bed. "Of what?"

"Dying." Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her fingers were intertwined around them. "But ah also don't want to live."

Hiccup's breath went short. "Why?" He knew all the reasons for her not wanting to live, but he also didn't want her to die.

"Ye said my life was worth fightin' for…but ah have nothin' ta live for."

"What about your people?"

"I don't want them." Merida tucked her knees in further, covering part of her mouth.

"What do you mean?"

Sighing, she let go of her legs and leaned back against the headboard. "Ah don't want to be Queen. Ah'm not a leader or a diplomat. Ah'm just a lost lassie with no parents."

"That's where you're wrong."

She cocked her head slightly.

"You are a leader." he said. "Your brothers are still out there and despite you not wanting to be Queen, those people you lead are also there to support you." Shifting his weight, he took one of her hands. "And never forget you have friends here to help you as well."

"Friends like Cathal?"

Her hand slipped out of his as his entire arm went limp. Hiccup tried to speak again, but a lump caught in his throat. Sighing, he leaned back till his shoulders were square on the wall.

"Yeah," he said with a raspy voice, "friends like Cathal."

For a while, they just sat there in silence. They avoided looking at each other or at anything. Eventually, Merida spoke up again.

"How did ye get over yer mother's death?" she said.

Sitting up again, he looked back to her. "Truth is…I never did…"

Blinking, her mouth went slightly agape, as if she couldn't comprehend what he just said.

He gave half a chuckle at her reaction. "I learned to deal with it, but no; I never got over it."

"How did you deal with it?"

He sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Well, at first it was hard. I had nightmares for weeks after she died. Dad took it pretty hard too. But…if it weren't for him and Gobber, I'd probably be off sulking in a corner or I'd have let a dragon eat me by now."

"Did ye ever forgive them…for…what they did?"

He shook his head. "No…and I probably never will."

"Yer dad said th' same thing."

He chuckled. "Runs in the family I guess."

She gave a half smile, but it faded within a second. Looking away she gave a small cough. At first it seemed like nothing, but then he noticed her blinking quite a bit and sniffing away tears.

"You know for the longest time though," Hiccup continued, "I tried so hard not to cry. I guess it was just a way for me to prove that I was strong to my dad. But…then one day I found him crying on his and mom's anniversary…I guess even vikings can cry sometimes…"

Merida looked back to him. Her eyes were so wet, they reflected every color in the room now.

"Merida…it's okay to cry."

She nodded, sniffing and wiping away the tears that she now allowed to fall.

"Ah know," she said. "Ah jus-…Mum always told me how a princess strived for perfection an-…Ah only ever saw her cry once, an' dad never cried…"

Curling up, she pressed her eyes into her knees, soaking her dress in tears. At a loss for words, Hiccup sat in silence as she sobbed.

"Your parents may not have cried in front of you," he said, forcing her to lift her head, "but I'm sure they cried many times."

She gave a soft nod and gulped hard before exhaling through another sob. Wiping her face on her sleeve, she got on her knees and crawled over to him, giving the viking a tight hug.

"Thank you, Hiccup."

He embraced her hug, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. Breathing in, he could smell the sweet fragrance of the glen, and he felt her hot cheek quiver against his ear.

"Ah honestly thought ah didn't have any more tears to shed." she said, her arms still tight around his neck. Letting go, she sat next to him.

"Well, understandable…especially since you drool when you sleep."

Her mouth went agape and she punched him in the arm. "Ah do not!"

He laughed as he rubbed his arm. "Of course it was hard to tell from all the snoring you were doing too."

With a large shove, Merida pushed him off the end of the bed. He would have stopped himself from hitting the hard floor, but he was too busy laughing.

"Ah ought ta kick ye as well." she said, glaring down at him with a smirk.

"Go ahead and try." he said, hoisting himself up and running to the other end of the room just before her leg came in contact with his gut. She chased after him, but he ran and put the table between the two of them, cutting her off. Undefeated, she rolled over the table and tackled him to the ground.

"I win." she said, gently kicking his right ankle. Chuckling, she stood up and held out a hand.

Hiccup grasped it tightly, but once she pulled him to his feet her smile faded.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"How did ye do that?"

"Do what?"

"Ye made me smile. Laugh even…" her face was that of concern and horror. "Ah have no reason ta smile. How did ye do it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, though you definitely needed it."

A bit bewildered, she sat down in a chair behind her. "Ah suppose ah did." she said softly. The viking pulled up another chair and sat in front of her.

"Just call me your personal jester. I'm clumsy enough for it!"

She chuckled again, but this time she didn't allow her smile to fade. "Ye always knew how ta make me smile again. Thank you." She lifted her hands to his head and gently kissed his forehead. Then before he could do anything else, she stood up and sat by the fire again.

"Ye ought ta get some sleep." she said before curling up and settling near the dying flames and embers.

But once again, Hiccup waited till she slipped into a slumber and carried her body to the bed again.

"Don't worry, Merida." he said, pulling the covers over her. "Soon it'll be all over."


*Song: Red is the Rose by The High Kings.