Hiccups POV
Waking up on the floor with a pounding head and lips so dry they cracked, I finally understood what it was like to be a baseball, after being hit with a bat. One at a time, I managed to peel my eyes open to find my shirt torn and the room a complete disaster zone.
Despite the low light of the fire, I could feel my gut twist tighter and tighter as I looked around the room. The table had been flipped over, and one of the chairs lay in several splintered pieces on the floor. And then, my eyes came to rest on a torn piece of green fabric hanging limply on a sharp bit of wood jutting out from the table.
It was Merida's.
Then all the memories rushed back, slamming into me with all the force of a waterfall. I remembered throwing Merida into the table, and the pain and heartbreak in her eyes when I said I didn't love her. Worst of all, I remembered doing nothing when she left in tears. It hurt so bad that my knees buckled. Hot tears poured off my cheeks and soaked the stone floor.
Then I remembered something else. I hadn't done those things. Gothel had.
A blazing fire lit in my stomach and raced through my entire body. I hated her for hurting Punz; I had kind of unconsciously adopted her as my little sister. Then she made me hurt the woman I loved. I was going to make that witch pay for everything she had ever done.
But first, I had to explain to Merida that I hadn't meant any of it. Not the words, not the actions (or lack of them), not any of it. The experience of telling her I didn't love her, the taste of those awful words in my mouth, had made me realize that I actually did. In that moment, crouching on the floor, I realized something that would change my life forever. I was in love with Merida DunBroch, and I was going to tell her.
Standing up, I wiped my face of tears and covered the distance between the door and I in two strides. I threw it open and…was thrown across the room? I suddenly found myself breathless, plastered against the wall. Shaking my head, I tried to clear the fogginess from my head.
In the doorframe, sickly acid green sparks of electricity arched through the air and a wall of what looked like shimmering glass blocked my only way out. A forcefeild.
"Great." I muttered to myself, rising to my feet shakily and attempting to flatten my now gravity-defying hairdo. "That's just what I need." My fingers still twitched slightly in the aftermath of electricity coursing through my body. Let me tell you, it's not fun.
Curious, I picked up a splintered but still intact chair leg off the floor and poked the forcefeild. I got a smoking five inch stub back. I felt my mouth suddenly become very dry.
In an attempt to get my blood flowing to my head, I paced the tiny room until my feet hurt. It did nothing except waste time. After what was way too long without a single good idea, I had to take out my frustration. The closest thing was the wall, so I slammed my fist into it.
I heard a concerned whimper from the behind me and turned to see Toothless sitting just outside the forcefeild, watching me with enormous eyes.
"Toothless!" I exclaimed "Oh I'm glad to see you bud!"
He gave me a disgusting, but still adorable, gummy smile. He began to come forward as if to tackle me, and collided with the barrier before I could open my mouth to warn him. He jolted badly and jumped back, but seemed relatively unhurt. His pride was a different story.
The dragon took the shock as a personal attack and reared up on his hind legs to shoot a white hot plasma bolt at the barrier (and if it passed through, me.) it actually did collide with the wall and blew a hole in it that lasted what I estimated to be five seconds before the forcefeild mended itself. "Toothless." I said, smiling. "I have an idea."
Once I was sure Toothless knew what to do, I pressed myself against the wall, putting as much running space between the forcefeild and myself before signaling to Toothless. He took a deep breath and blew a steady stream of fire at the barrier between the two of us.
"For Merida." I told myself. Steeling my nerves, I ran at the blazing hole in the barrier and the fire keeping it open. I leapt with all my strength, grateful for the extra edge my mechanical leg gave me. Toothless stopped blowing fire just as I began to pass through the hole.
Static filled my ears and the next moment, I was lying on the plush red carpet in the hallway. I started to laugh despite myself, earning an odd look from Toothless, before he saw fit to tackle me and soak me in as much dragon spit as possible.
"Gross." I scolded him. "You know that doesn't wash out." He made a whickering that could only be described as the reptilian equivalent to a chuckle.
Scratching the top of his head playfully, I said "Come on Bud. Let's go find Merida."
He looked at me sadly, the previously mischievous spark melting out of his eyes. "Oh no."
I tore through the workshop searching in every possible place Merida could be. I threw the sheets off her bed, searched the practice room, and asked every living thing if they'd seen her, with no result.
In despair, I slumped against the wall. Screwing my eyes tight, I counted to three to get myself under control. By the third digit, a soft blue light leaked through my eyelids. I opened them and was greeted with a small blue creature, like a ghost, floating directly in front of me. "A wisp" I heard myself say.
Then another one appeared a few feet down the hall. Then another and another. I realized they were making a trail, and figuring I had nothing to lose, followed them. They lead me through several different halls, until I pushed a door open to be met with moonlight. I found myself in the stables. I final wisp appeared in an empty stable. Above the door, a name was carved into the wood. It read, 'Angus.' Merida's horse.