Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Frozen, Rise of the Guardians, Tangled, Brave or How to train your Dragon.
Ch. 2 The new King and Queen of Land Dun Broch
Hiccup accompanied Jack back to Bariden to be part of the transportation for Eugene and Rapunzel who otherwise would have travelled slowly by boat. Heather would also be part of it and take Eugene with her on her Dragon Windsheer while Rapunzel had already asked to ride on Toothless with Hiccup. Elsa would fly with Jack. She could fit on the back of Windsheer along with Heather and Eugene who neither took very much space on the elongated Dragon, but Elsa didn't think it really a choice. It was not that she feared Dragons. Elsa had flown once before on Windsheer when she and Heather flew to Dun Broch after Merida had been taken there, but it felt unnatural to her to rely on the power of another creature. She and Jack were not quite the same, but still it felt more home to fly with him and even though she couldn't fly herself she was less aware of that at the time. Elsa figured that if she ever was to feel truly free on the back of a Dragon, it had to be a Snow Dragon or a beast she would create herself.
Heather, Rapunzel, Eugene and Elsa left the Apartment Complex and took the single road leading out of Bariden and past the meadow where Hiccup and Jack were waiting for them with the Dragons. Heather had send Windsheer ahead at the crack of dawn to save her from prying eyes and was happy to see her loyal companion sitting peacefully in the autumn sunlight. Hiccup and Jack were smiling at them and looked quite relaxed with Toothless curiously looking past them. Now that Jack knew how to thaw his frost, he had adopted Elsa's way of making special cold-absorbing clothes and used it too compromise his freezing condition. Not only his fellow humans, but also Dragons and other animals used to mistrust and avoid him because of his strange body temperature, but not anymore. Of course it could never be the same as being normal, but Elsa could see the pure happiness emanating from Jack's entire being while he stood there between Hiccup and Toothless like any other human could. Elsa felt her own happiness grow just by looking at him and when the two pairs of wintery eyes found one another she quickened her step.
Two more skips brought her close enough to reach out for both his hands and she took them into hers. A bright smile coloured her face.
"You missed me?" Jack asked her quietly and his infectious grin made Elsa giggle.
Eugene raised an eyebrow at Elsa's sudden perkiness and gave Jack a meaningful look.
"Someday you have to tell me how you do it, Jack." He said and his sly smile was threatening to come to the light, but only for a second.
"But," he dramatically added and he turned to Hiccup, "first let us fly on Dragons, shall we? Not the usual, common way to travel. It is certainly not for the faint of heart I imagine. You'd have to have had your fair share of rebellious spirit, like myself, a poor orphan who went rogue. Sure, I am a gallant Royal Guard now, but I gotta tell ya, it feels great to take that dangerous road again."
Elsa smirked at Jack's eye roll and Hiccup was obviously trying to think of the right words to say, but quickly chose to bring it to his friend straight.
"I am not planning to fly the dangerous route today, Eugene, never really. We never seek danger." He told him and Toothless rumbled behind him.
"Yes, we don't have time for that, sorry to disappoint you." Heather added.
"Ok, fine, but still Dragons are pretty dangerous, especially yours Heather. Doesn't she have poisonous tears?" Eugene tried, still enthusiastic.
"Well, yes she does, but.." Heather looked trapped and patted her seemingly docile Dragon to sooth her. She didn't want to be dangerous anymore and neither did her Dragon, that path lay well behind them.
"What Eugene is trying to say is that we are very excited to have this new adventure. It doesn't matter to us whether it is actually eventful or not, because they are still Dragons and they are amazing to meet." Rapunzel explained delighted and she skipped towards Toothless to say hello.
"You see, she gets it. That is exactly what I am saying, thanks Blondie." Eugene said happily.
Rapunzel looked over her shoulder to accept his gratitude, but then focused her attention back on Toothless. Rapunzel had these huge soft green eyes that could tame everyone from an animal to a vicious looking thug and Toothless with his sharp character was no exception. Seldom had Hiccup seen Toothless so easy to accept someone and show them his toothless smile.
"There, you are very sweet, aren't you, Toothless?" She said to him sweetly and she gently scratched him under his chin. Toothless made low satisfied noises and his eyes were eyeing her happily.
"Can I fly with you and Hiccup today?" Rapunzel asked on, but the answer was already obvious. Toothless coiled his body around her and tried to lick her face, which Rapunzel accepted with great joy. Then it was Eugene's turn to connect with Windsheer and he suddenly had lost his craving for danger. He shuffled a bit closer but stayed just out of Windsheer's reach.
"So ah, how does one befriend your Dragon?" He asked Heather, hesitation clear in his voice.
Heather didn't laugh, but smiled at him calmly and lay a soothing hand on Windsheer's snout. The Dragon made a quiet screeching sound and eyed Eugene with interest.
"Every Dragon is different and although Toothless and Windsheer are both lonely predators, their response to a companion is different. Where Toothless likes to find company, Windsheer likes to find someone like a First Mate to a Captain. She knows I can protect her and therefore I can rely on her to do the same for me.''
"So what do I need to show her?" Eugene asked and he dared to look Windsheer in the eye, but not fully.
"She will accept you on her back, because I made the call to trust you not to endanger any of us. So all you have to do is not to fall off and make us go through the trouble of concerning ourselves with your safety." Heather explained matter-of-factly and took her seat in Windsheer's saddle.
"Sure, I can do that. No problem." Eugene muttered with his eyes wide with sudden pressure. He accepted Heather's helping hand and tried to sit himself down as sturdy as possible. Meanwhile Hiccup and Rapunzel had taken their place on Toothless. Rapunzel tried to share her beaming joy with her boyfriend, but Eugene could not spare her a look, he was too concerned with everything he did.
"There I go." He muttered and as though both Hiccup and Heather took that commend as their signal, they told their dragons to launch themselves into the sky.
As always Toothless went vertical immediately and Rapunzel's scream from the sudden pressure of air pierced through the silent morning. Windsheer kicked off the ground with her strong hind legs, keeping her back horizontal, but cutting even sharper into the invisible force of air. Elsa could just see Eugene bent forwards like an invisible fist had hit his head before she and Jack were the only two left in the Meadow.
"Shall we go, malady the snow queen?" Jack asked Elsa with a dramatic bow. His voice had been low and penetrating and Elsa welcomed the relieve of her legs when Jack scooped her into his arms to make for the sky. Soon Elsa could feel the pressure of the wind as well. Last time she had closed her eyes, but today she didn't. She could only return Jack's smile and drink in the wonderful spark in his eyes.
Queen Elinor was peacefully humming while she forced her daughter through the discomfort of being royally dressed.
"Ye are awfully happy, aren't ye mum?" Merida remarked, her mouth was twisted in a grimace from being pulled out of bed and being pushed around like a rag doll, but some playful sarcasm rang in her voice and her heart felt nonetheless light.
"Of course I am, dear." Elinor replied gracefully, as always perfectly overstepping her daughter's sharp attempts to show her a reflection of herself.
"We have prepared you for this day your whole life and after all you and I said about the matter, including that whole mess with witchcraft and the near clash of the alliance, you are finally accepting a man as your King and so will be queen." Merida was not the only one who could show her opinion clearly without using the exact words. Queen Elinor firmly parted Merida's hair into two fury red clusters and threw them over Merida's shoulders. Merida's groaned at the sudden tuck at either side of her head, followed by her own symbol of adventurous spirit being pushed into her face like a disgrace. Still Merida didn't let it get to her, because her mother hadn't won and a broad grin spread across her face.
"Ay accepted a Viking tae be ma king." She pointed out happily.
"I myself see fit not to note that detail, dear." Her mother replied a bit gruffly and she gave a firm yank on the lace to close the corset.
With a shock Merida gasped for air and tried to brace herself for more to come. She could understand her mother's thoughts about Hiccup being a Viking and didn't argue. Still with yet the corset to be closed and so to have her way of freely moving and breathing taken away from her, Merida had still an argument.
"Du ay really need tae wear this? Hiccup doesn't think it necessary. In fact the very thought that yu make me wear this shocked him and that has tae say something, ye have tae admit that."
Elinor sighed and Merida lost all hope. Not even today she was getting out of this controlled part of her life.
"I know you and Chief Hiccup will lead us into a new time, with new customs that will be a combination of both cultures, but some things must be preserved. You will be the queen of Dun Broch, the highest lady and so yu must create the image of perfection."
Merida couldn't stop the deep groan that answered her mother's words from the bottom of her heart, nor did she wanted to. Another strong yank on the lace followed and Merida had to cut her loses, before her mother would fully put her irritation into her control over Merida's ability to breath.
"Does that mean that they will force Hiccup tae wear a kilt?" Merida asked on and she didn't hide her amusement at the thought. "Because ay don't think it boats well fur anyone if the bride has a fit of laughter at the sight of her groom." Merida's giggles ended in a choking gasp as her mother told her subtly off by entirely closing the corset.
"Agh Merida, I am sure he will take your breath away instead." Queen Elinor said, albeit bluntly.
Suddenly Merida was able to see herself in the mirror in front of her. Her hair was flung down her back again and it made her stagger with surprise. She still felt like a life-sized doll, but when her mother asked her to raise her arms and the beautiful embroidered soft beige dress was formed around her, Merida could see her own eyes sparkle with joy. It was kind of strange to see herself be like that.
"Now, what should we do with your hair?" Her mother asked in high spirits and Merida could see her look over her shoulder with pride and devotion. This day was very important to her and Merida's heart filled with warmth. At last she managed to make them both happy, but then her eyes filled with apprehension as they shot towards the strong comb on the night stand.
"Ah, how about we leave ma hair the way it is this time?" Merida opted quickly. Her mother raised an eyebrow and Merida dropped her shoulders in an irritated groan.
"You must know that if we do that, our whole preparation will be for naught. I can see that you think the grass is greener on Northern grounds, but I am certain they have certain views as well, ones you and Chief Hiccup will have to follow. Who knows, maybe tonight the Chieftain of Berk has to endure something he doesn't want to endure either." Queen Elinor reasoned strongly.
"Ay doubt it." Merida muttered, but her mother as always had the ears of a fox and took the comb in her hand.
"How about we braid your hair, it is what the Northern women do so it surely would please the audience at your second wedding, but of course your hair will be done properly to be fitted a queen of this kingdom."
Merida used the mirror to look at her mother pleadingly, she knew what 'properly' meant. First her mother would painfully comb her hair till she found not one single intertwined curl, then wash it and comb it again and lastly braid it strongly with a lot of pulling so that the braid would appear as sleek as possible. Alas Merida knew no better way to appease both cultures and thus surrendered her hair, hopefully for the last time, to her mother's care.
As soon as Hiccup and his guests hit the grassy grounds of land Dun Broch a small army of armed Highlanders came to meet them. Their speers and swords were only ceremonial, but their message of formal hospitality was quickly frown off by the Dragons. Their sharp instinct detected the warriors' lingering fear and apprehension at the sight of the mighty beasts and answered it with dangerous growling and showing their teeth. The Highlanders' at their turn replied with realising the feared threat and readied their weapons.
"Wow, wow easy now." Hiccup cried out startled and he laid a soothing hand on Toothless' head to calm him down, then he raised his arms in surrender.
"Easy there bud, they only came here to greet us." He told Toothless and the Dragon retracted his teeth sheepishly.
"See?" Hiccup added smilingly to the Highlanders who stood down immediately. "Nothing to worry about. Dragons are very intelligent and have good memories. If you believe they won't be dangerous then I assure you that they won't be."
"Chieftain Hiccup Haddock, we're here tae escort ye tae the castle. There everything has been set ready tae prepare yerself tae be our king. As fur yer Dragons and friends, princess Merida herself has given us instructions how best tae take care of them, don't ye worry." The head of the small army spoke low and in monotone, but Hiccup trusted he meant well.
"Can we speak with Merida before the big moment?" Rapunzel asked the man spontaneously. As always appearances and grumpy attitude meant nothing to her.
"Nay, ye cannot, sorry. It is not well with our traditions tae see the princess before she becomes our queen. Now if ye all will follow me. William, personal messenger of the current king and queen will take Chieftain Hiccup Haddock tae his parlour.
Hiccup did one resolute step forward to follow the man named William. The head of the guard had only vaguely gestured in the man's direction, but it had been obvious from the beginning that this man had a different job description. He had straw blonde hair that formed a little roof over his ears and a matching triangle moustache. He was about Hiccup's height and slightly skinnier, due to the lack of trained muscled Hiccup had developed in his years as Dragon Trainer.
William gave Hiccup an encouraging nod, but Hiccup did not take another step, instead he looked back to his friend who was already feeling neglected.
"It's alright, bud. I will see you later and you still have Heather and Windsheer, remember. Besides, the others will be great company as well, I am sure of it." To make his point Hiccup gestured with his head to Jack, Rapunzel, Eugene and Elsa, who were all beaming at him. Toothless had followed his gaze and too saw the wonderful smiles of his other human company. He then grunted in surrender. This was not the acceptance Hiccup had hoped for, but it was not like he didn't know the cause. Normally Hiccup and Toothless bounced off their emotions off of each other and so created understanding, but today Hiccup's nerves and emotions were all over the place and so Toothless blamed him. Toothless turned tail and Hiccup sighed. Heather caught his eye and silenced the things he wanted to say about his friend's behaviour. She was right after all, Toothless just expressed the dislike for grounding rules and expectations he had to suppress today.
William was not a talker and seemed even more nervous than Hiccup, which made the latter very uncomfortable, wondering what it could be that made the man feel that way.
"Here we are, yer upcoming Highness." William suddenly announced in a quite startling loud voice.
Smiling uncomfortably, Hiccup wanted to tell the man not to bother himself with fancy titles and just call him Hiccup, but he considered that this was Merida's culture and swallowed his words. It would be stepping on their way of live. After all, as of today he would be a part of it too and that meant having people talk to him that way. It would take some getting use to, Hiccup was sure of that. William lead him into a mostly empty room, except for a bureau made from beautifully carved pine wood and an equally elegant table with two matching chairs. On the bureau lay a stack of letters that would give Hiccup the last pieces of information for this day, but before Hiccup's natural curiosity could pull himself to them, his nerves and still nagging feeling of discomfort caused him to note the last item in the room: a male mannequin wearing a kilt, coloured in light brown and deep red. Hiccup's kingly attire. Before Hiccup could stop himself his mouth had released a grunt that came from the depth of his soul, he would not be comfortable wearing that in front of a large audience.
"This is the king's study that after taeday will be solely meant fur yer use, with the exception of the queen of course." William informed Hiccup. Hiccup honestly couldn't tell whether the man hadn't heard his momentary reveal of his feelings towards their plans for him or that he did and chose to ignore it, maybe out of sympathy, but it didn't matter.
"There will be some details of our way binding yu and the princess in marriage. Ye can find in these papers on the bureau and of course we do ask ye tae wear this custom made kilt tae show us yer acceptance of our ways." With this William did spare Hiccup a glance and made it clear that he had heard him before. His face was calm, but his eyes were almost stern and asked Hiccup to swallow that what could be called 'pride'.
"As ye may know, the colours of Dun Broch are blue and green and will be presented by our new Queen, who was born in this clan. We have learned that you have a clan as well, but they du not have any colours, so we took the liberty to take those of yer armour and yer chief seal. We hope ye approve of this decision and hopefully it will make the change of clothing easier."
"Eh yeah, it was a good idea. Great job." Hiccup answered rather quickly. He honestly liked the colour choice and he was pleasantly surprised by the understanding they had put into the design for him. He wished he could feel easier about it already and felt more and more unreasonable. As he pointed out to Jack earlier: He wouldn't be the only one who would be uncomfortable. He decided to stop his struggle by just come forth with it.
"But, I am afraid I still won't be entirely comfortable wearing lesser layers than I am used to, it won't feel right to me."
"Ay understand that with yer life riding Dragons and living in harsh weather, ye will feel vulnerable, but ay assure ye that even though our land is thin on Dragons we too have our dealings with survival and we do have cold rain and sharp winds. Our kilts are well-fashioned to aid every warrior protection while being highly flexible and isolating against any change of weather." William spoke proudly, but then caved and said with a small sigh of acceptance: However, ye are permitted tae wear yer tunic and pants underneath if ye like. Ye and princess Merida will lead us all through change, of that everyone is certain and so this will be the beginning of our combined customs."
Before the moment of dressing actually came, William made sure Hiccup knew exactly what to expect and do at the ceremony. It turned out the Highlanders had their fair share of strange traditions. For one thing the groom was supposed to leave his left shoe unlaced to prevent misfortune to his and the bride's shared future. However this detail did not apply to Hiccup who no longer had a left foot and therefore his left shoe was already missing. What Hiccup could do for their happy future would actually happen before the ceremony. Namely carrying a large rock around the kingdom. He would have to carry it all the way from the castle grounds across the land till Merida would find him and take him with her to the place of ceremony. William asked Hiccup to get dressed and then read the remaining information about Dun Broch and lastly he could use the remaining time to write his vows.
Hiccup firstly thought it better to just put on the kilt above his normal clothes and only get rid of his flight-suit and armour, but he soon understood what William meant by saying that the kilt was enough in harsh weather as well, the thick woollen material quickly absorbed his body heat and kept it around him like a steady fire and with his tunic that was also made from wool, although thinner, combined with leather pants that let out no breathing, Hiccup felt ready to burn to a crisp. Still he doubted the relieve of losing his pants would conquer his discomfort when he stood in front of people, so he only got rid of his tunic and let it at that. Hiccup felt strange, but it had nothing to do with his bared chest. He was going to get married today. It seemed it only dawned on him at that moment, standing in the royal study of Merida's home. All his life he was assumed not ready for anything. A future in anything seemed ages away. Then when he ended the war and made himself known by inventing a new expertise, life had seemed to suddenly flash by, on the back of Toothless with the world ahead! He had done and seen many things since then, but because it was new it still felt like just the beginning, never near the end. Now suddenly he had reached it, the end of his explores. He had met Merida and their time had been cut short. He should have had years with her, deepening their feelings towards one another till Hiccup concluded his wish to marry her, but instead it had been less than a year.
Hiccup wished he could see her, it felt an eternity since she departed for Dun Broch for the preparations and now that he found himself in the same house he still found himself missing her. He needed more than just these documents telling him about the new lands he suddenly had to take the responsibility for, he needed the only person who was his connection to it all, Merida.
"Hey Hic! Mind if we drop in?" A familiar voice suddenly asked from the window.
Hiccup turned swiftly and dropped his papers and jaw when he saw that it hadn't been his imagination. Jack had indeed entered the room, together with Elsa and the two ice mages were smiling at him brightly, Jack more cheekily than Elsa.
Hiccup moved his mouth to say something, to express his sheer surprise, but got no change. A flash of gold in the form of Rapunzel's hair lashed into view and coiled itself around a wooden beam above the windowsill. Only a few seconds later Eugene entered the room with practiced ease and helped Rapunzel in as well (who no longer had the help of 21 meters of hair).
"Tadaaa!" Rapunzel cheered once she came to her feet and, while still panting, she aimed all her enthusiasm at Hiccup.
It was affective, but Hiccup was quick to come to reason.
"You all ditched the guards? Where are Heather and the Dragons?" He wanted to know and his voice rang with a slight bit of anger. He saw Rapunzel's eyes lose their gleeful glow and even Jack and Eugene lost their grins, but unfortunately, it was necessary. Hiccup could see how they thought this fun, but today he had to show four unknown clans plus the whole of Berk that he could be trusted and was indeed mature enough to be a leader and his friends had to be aware of that.
"Don't worry, they know where we went. Their welcome was fine, but we already couldn't see Merida, so.." Rapunzel tried innocently, but Hiccup cut her off as new nerves kicked his stomach hard.
"No guys, this is not the normal day where you can pull stunts like this."
"Actually, it were your soon to be brothers-in-law. Man, they are fun!" Jack put in and his grin returned, but Elsa was the one who spoke the right words.
"Hiccup, we understand the pressure you feel. We know we are not supposed to be here and we won't stay long. We just wanted to show you our direct support in this moment, because we know we can't when you become King."
Hiccup surrendered himself to her words and dropped his shoulders. He looked from Elsa's genuine care to Jack's brotherly smile, to Rapunzel's compassionate gaze and to Eugene's determined nod.
"Hiccup, I especially can understand how big this is for you, to have little choice to do so much." Rapunzel said to him softly. She crossed the room and took hold of both Hiccup's hands. She locked her green eyes with his and smiled meaningfully.
"Really I do and Eugene must know it too. We actually chickened out when this choice lay before us."
"Actually, we both agreed we freed ourselves from being bound to the castle and rules. No chickening was done, just choosing for freedom." Eugene clarified and Rapunzel lost face for a moment in which she knew this to be the truth, but not helping.
"Yes, but for you and Merida, it's very different!" Rapunzel added a bit too loud to make her point and fire had sprung into life in her kind eyes.
"By being king and queen, you and Merida chose to be together against all odds and that way you chose freedom. We know you love Merida and by accepting to take on the role of king despite the past you are showing Merida your devotion to her and that's what counts, right?" Rapunzel's eyes were beaming again and they took only a second to affect Hiccup's mood. His nerves were settling down and a pressure was taken off his heart. He gave Rapunzel a warm smile and a nod.
"You are right." He said. "I shouldn't overthink it."
"So now that's cleared up. I would like to take a moment and address the kilt in the room." Jack said mischievously.
Hiccup looked down at his clothes and shrugged, it hadn't bothered him when they barged in, because of the surprise and now the moment of discomfort had blissfully passed without him noticing.
"Like I said before, I know Merida is being forced into something worse today, but I would tell you that you are welcome to stay close by, Jack, because this thing sure is hot to wear, even without my tunic."
"You could get rid of your leather pants." Jack opted in a genuine try to help out. "Even without them you would still be wearing more than the menfolk here."
There followed a moment of silence after that statement in which everyone wondered amongst themselves if they wanted to know the meaning of Jack's statement. Still, whether they wanted or not, both Elsa and Rapunzel's eyes had grown in size as they still grasped it quite soon.
"Well, even if it would help with the uncomfortable heat, I will keep my pants on." Hiccup stated, bringing everyone back to the more serious matter at hand. "It will be too much of a change for me. At least they understand that here."
"I say we help our Viking-buddy out and get some kilts ourselves." Eugene announced suddenly.
"Hey, wait, Eugene, I always thought you were on my side of the jokes!" Jack protested, but Eugene stood by his decision.
"Oh come on, Jack. The girls did an effort to dress accordingly, so why don't we as well?" Eugene argued, oblivious to Jack's sudden discomfort. Not waiting for another word from anyone, Eugene smilingly threw open the door of the king's study and addressed the stunned man guarding it.
"Excuse me, good sir, but do you happen to have a kilt to spare so that I can morally support my friend on this most important day in this lovely kingdom?"
"Wait, how did ye..?" The guard began and he flung his head around the door to not only see no evidence of how someone could enter the quite high up room, but see three more intruders.
"Never mind that, my request is more important." Eugene insisted.
"My friend here, is a Viking as you may well know. They are born in bitter cold and made themselves strong to survive. Not unlike yourselves, I might add, but the different conditions of this land and his are key here. The strength that is needed to be accepted as Viking or in this case be a good king to you is mostly in the mind. For my friend, his strength and willpower lie in his bond with the Dragons and the fires he put out to protect his people, no pun intended. By asking him to wear something that would make him weak in his normal surroundings, you will suppress the man my friend can be. So, by offering to wear the same foreign clothes I want to make sure that Hiccup will overcome that point of uncertainty and can be fully himself when he marries your princess."
The guard was dumbstruck by the speech Eugene had just given him and so was everyone else, but it had hit the right cord and the guard nodded strongly.
"Ay understand." He said gruffly and turned to look at Jack as the other male of Hiccup's company.
"Fur yer friend as well, then?" He inquired.
"Oh no!" Jack answered quickly and backed away with his hands defensive in front of him.
"No, he can make his own kilt, thank you." Eugene answered the guard, again seemingly oblivious to his friend's discomfort.
"I am not doing it, Eugene." Jack pointed out stubbornly once the guard was away. "By telling that guard to leave me out you still gave me a choice and I choose not to."
"You can do it for me and Merida." Hiccup brought up and he tried a hurtful, pleading look to pressure his friend. Rapunzel joined in, but Elsa brought it all to nothing by simply walking towards Jack and giving him a common smile.
"Just do it Jack." She said kindly. Jack turned to her firmly with a betrayed look, but Elsa didn't butch.
"You already love to be barefoot and if you make your own kilt, you can make it as cool as you want. I know you don't want to put on shoes today, but if you don't wear your pants then you could stand it much better."
"Wow Elsa, you don't have to persuade him to go all the way. I will still be wearing my pants underneath mine, like Hiccup." Eugene cut in and he winked at her slyly.
For a second, Elsa's eyes widened and her cheeks flared up pink, but just for a second. She clear her throat and closed her eyes, as if willing to take back the moment that had occurred and she folded her hands in front of her and straightened her back with dignity.
"I am only saying that you could do that, Jack. It is up to you, but at least wear the kilt for Hiccup and Merida." She saved herself by saying, but she kept her eyes closed for good measure, because Hiccup saw that Jack had copied Eugene's sly smile.
As promised Hiccup's friends left him alone after Eugene and Jack had changed into their kilts. Almost immediately afterwards Hiccup was taken outside where he was handed the large rock to carry around a large piece of land that was marked by tall cabers. Merida's parents had made sure that the task was doable, ordering the staff to pick out the perfect rock that was heavy enough for the symbolism of the task to have its purpose, but light enough to save Hiccup's strength for the remainder of the ceremony. The track went almost perfectly around the west side of the land Dun Broch, but had a slight bent through the woods to make it more challenging. Hiccup was used to do the stamina-building trainings Astrid put up for the Dragon Riders. He knew how to keep his energy consistent and his muscles enduring and this task could as well come from her. if anything, if she ever came to know about this, she would make sure to take it with her to use, maybe on her own future husband… That was actually a weird thought and Hiccup forced himself to forget it as he jogged on. Instead his thoughts went to what came after the ceremony and what he wanted to say to Merida, first in front of the Four Clans and then in front of Berk.
Merida was finally released from the castle and she tried to make her way to Angus's stable as quickly as she could, which wasn't very quick. It was like every time she was forced into these suffocating dresses the experience got worse, as if each time she got out of them she imaged it less painful and bothersome. She felt herself being pulled upright by the brass wires that were slammed against her spine, sides, stomach and upper torso, pushing her guts inwards to a point of extreme and her breathing was more like gasping. However this didn't bother her, she felt free, no matter how controlled her body was. On her face stood a brilliant smile that couldn't be wiped off by any stitch in her side that occurred while trying to walk fast.
Her mother had reminded her of the importance of lifting he dress when she walked over earthy terrain, but once on her own and with the stables in sight, Merida disregarded that care completely and made an odd sprint towards her old friend. Angus heard her and sensed her need for speed. He was old, but came from a pure line of a strong breed. The only reason he had lost some of his strength was due to the miss of his daily rider. Merida lifted her gown shamelessly and flew up the little wooden stairs that brought her over the wall of Angus' stable and settled herself on his back. The servants had not yet given him his saddle, but Merida didn't want it, neither did she need the reins. It would appear wild, to ride a war horse this way and her mother was certain to disapprove, but Merida wanted to be free, that was the only way she could be a good queen.
Merida let Angus speed away through the marked path Hiccup had to take and it was not long before Merida spotted her target with her keen eyes. Hiccup was keeping a good pace with the large rock clutched to his chest. He was indeed wearing a kilt for the ceremony and Merida felt her mouth form a delightful smirk. She made Angus turn and made for a path outside the cabers. Hiccup would have to jog a little longer, because Merida wanted to meet him up ahead, instead of catching up from behind. She drove a medium sized circle around him and entered Hiccup's road in the opposite direction. She made Angus change his pace into a little trot and closed in on Hiccup.
"There's ma brave strong Viking!" She called out to him to get his attention.
Hiccup, who had been fully concentrated on his pace and had been in deep thought no doubt, lifted his head swiftly towards the source of her voice and dropped his stone with a bright smile.
"Wow, you look amazing." He told he with pure honesty.
Merida blushed, she still had her woollen cape wrapped around her shoulders and now that she was no longer speeding the wind had not parted it to reveal anything of her stunning gown underneath. The cape itself was not very special, it was made from the finest wool and had the checked colours of her clan, but other than that it would not make anyone this genuinely impressed. Hiccup had solely spoken of Merida's face and hair, which too were not that dressed up. She wanted to say something, return the complement, but a familiar feeling of swirling butterflies made her unable to make a normal sound. Now that Hiccup stood before her in full view with no longer the stone occupying his arms and blocking his chest, Merida saw for the very first time his well-trained muscles. Still, Hiccup was nowhere near looking buff, like a Viking Chief ideally would be, but he was in great shape and did not in the least gave a weak impression. Merida could floor a man the size of her own father in combat if needed, she had done it, but when she saw Hiccup's mental and physical strength she surrendered the pressured feeling that she needed to fight alone.
Merida released the butterflies by releasing a small giggling laugh. "Same tea ye, if yu ask me, ye could wear a kilt from now on." She said to him.
Hiccup laughed a bit awkwardly. "That's a relieve, but I still don't think I will. I will still be working on Berk, anyway."
"That's true, now come on. Let's get tae our first wedding of the day, shall we?" Merida ended their little chat by saying and shuffled backwards on Angus' back to make room for Hiccup in the front. It would have been easier to let Hiccup ride on the back, and normally in this tradition that was to be expected, but Hiccup would become King and therefore he had to give the impression of a leader at all times. He wouldn't need to ride anyway, because Angus knew the way.
Once Angus reached the place of the ceremony a tumult of cheering and music broke loose. Merida and Hiccup both looked to the crowd and searched for their friends, who they found quickly enough in the front row. Merida let out a stifled giggled when she saw both Jack and Eugene in a kilt. Eugene wore the colours of Dun Broch and was cheering enthusiastically along with everyone else. Jack had made his own kilt with his frost to make himself more comfortable, which was in the only colours he could create, silver and white. He wore a wide grin as always and gave them a single, but nonetheless passionate shout. Rapunzel and Elsa flanked their partners and wore brilliant smiles. They both wore dresses that could fit into her culture, although still with their own unique touches.
Merida made Angus halt closely to the Wedding Arch and jumped resolutely off the high horse, to land powerfully on the soft grass below in practiced balance. She felt more than ready and showed it in her eyes while she looked to the crowd. She saw her father beaming, but her mother couldn't hide her disapproval in Merida's choices. Merida however disregarded it by turning her back to the audience to help Hiccup dismount. It was not as it should be and Merida had no intention of weakening Hiccup's image towards his soon-to-be subjects, but the fact remained that Hiccup had only one good leg and his Dragon Toothless was a lot lower to the ground and therefore easier to dismount. She reached out a hand, but Hiccup thankfully didn't need it. He twisted his hand firmly into Angus' mane and let himself slide down quickly, but carefully till both his right foot and left prosthetic were on the soft grass. He then took Merida lovingly by the hand and took the lead to their appointed place underneath the Arch. Then the elderly officiator stepped up behind them and the ceremony could begin.
"Taeday we will witness the sacred binding of our beloved princess. Taeday she and the Chief of Berk will make a bridge between our cultures and begin a new era. Taeday we will witness the promise of a stronger kingdom!" The officiator announced with a surprisingly strong voice and a thunderclap of cheers followed.
"First the Princess and the Chief are tae present their binding pieces!" The officiator continued with his arms raised importantly. The audience went silent at once and Merida took off her cape to use its cord as her binding piece. The cape slid off her shoulders to reveal her wedding gown and the crowd gasped in awe.
The gentle autumn sun lit the light beige velvet and brought out the copper coloured embroidery, so that it strengthened the furious colour of her red braid. It was a gown made to fit the season of change, with the image of beauty and strength. Pinned in her hair, Merida wore a blue tiara that had matched her cloak, it's jewels shone now as clear as her eyes.
Normally Merida only cared for practicality when it came to her clothes, but today she was proud and happy to be beautiful. She wanted to take everyone's breath away! It felt as though she had climbed the highest and most treacherous mountain and now looked down on all who doubted her. She wanted to be seen with admiration, but most of all, she wanted Hiccup to see what she would promise him, to love and support him and ensure his happiness with a life of love and adventure.
Merida kept her eyes on Hiccup while she handed over her woollen cord to the officiator. She wondered what he would use as his binding piece and as she looked at him she saw her question being reflected, or rather he considdered his options. No doubt, the servants who took care of the preparation for the kilt, included an extra piece he could use, but Hiccup obviously did not think it would be right. After flashing the officiator a smile he reached to his right leg. It was then that Merida realised that he still had a leather band there. Usually when he wore his full armour and flight-suit, leather straps held the suit in place and held scabbards for travel daggers (which Hiccup mostly used for sharpening his charcoal or free trapped Dragons), but now a single leather strap was left seemingly purposeless around his right upper leg. Hiccup pulled it free and handed it to the stunned officiator.
"Can I use this instead?" He asked the officiator. The old man was obviously not keen to let go off the usual way of things and so Hiccup explained his reason to him.
"This piece is meant as a piece of my world accepting and intertwining with Merida's, right?" He went on and he ignored the grimace he received for not calling Merida 'princess'.
"My clan doesn't have any colours or pattern and so this kilt does not represent it, but we are known for our use of leather. We use it to make our saddles to ride Dragons and our pants to withstand the northern cold, that is my world. So I kept this piece of my flight-suit as the binding piece."
The officiator looked to the present King and Queen, but got no reason to deny Hiccup's solution, because they were deeply impressed.
"It is accepted." He replied gruffly. "Now I ask ye tae hold each other's right hand tightly." He continued.
Hiccup had never let go off Merida's hand, but was holding her left, instead of her right. He sheepishly let go as Merida raised her right hand for him to take instead. When she felt his touch again her butterflies returned with thousands in number and she inhaled sharply to keep them at bay. She had to try her best not to show her teeth in the form of a large grin that even Jack Frost could be jealous of. Hiccup's eyes were so soft and affectionate and they were so tempting to loose herself in completely, but she couldn't afford it. Today she had to be the princess her mother always told her to be and that suddenly brought her thoughts to Elsa. Using her method of inhaling deeply through her nose and letting her breath go steadily while she straightened herself up as far as she could, Merida mimicked her grace and managed a warm subtitle smile.
"The binding of your hands together represents yer loyalty tae one another and the value of the vows ye will now speak." The officiator told them importantly as he gently intertwined the leather strap and woollen cord together over and under Hiccup and Merida's joined hands.
"As it is customary the young man will speak first. Teaday he will not only vow tae love and protect this woman, but also tae serve her lands and those who follow him, for if he marries our princess, he will become our king.''
The officiator took a step back to let Hiccup speak. Hiccup cleared his throat but seemed lost at a moment to whom to speak. As king he would need to address all his subjects, but Merida was the one he wanted to ensure of his heart's intentions. The officiator cleared his throat meaningfully and gestured rather firmly that Hiccup should speak to the audience, but Hiccup clearly didn't think it right and Merida understood that. With an affectionate smile she turned with him towards the crowd and gave his hand an ensuring squeeze.
"I, Hiccup Haddock, chieftain of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk know that I was the least expected to stand here before you, like this." Hiccup began in a clear, but kind voice.
"I know I came to you unannounced, just when you had a future decided. However, I hope I made it clear then that I didn't come for this crown, but to heal a pain from long ago. It shames me to know that it was my own grandfather who inflicted so much pain and fear upon your queen.
I too am a Viking and, although I doubted myself to be one as a child, that fact cannot be denied nor can it be changed. However, the same goes for who you are. We are different, but as I found my likeness and understanding in Merida -," Hiccup paused to break the formality and look at Merida with a soft loving smile. No matter how much he was going to be devoted as king or even as chieftain to Berk, Merida was already his most important reason for whatever step he would take. He squeezed her hand gently and she blushed bashfully, accepting his meaning with surprise and modesty.
"I know that our people are not meant to be on opposite ends." Hiccup looked onto his audience once more. "I promise you today that I will do my best to be a good king and adjust to your ways, but in return I hope you will allow me to be who I am. Let us shape a daring future that will teach both Dun Broch and Berk what it means to look forward!" Hiccup finished his speech strongly and it created an impressive hush over the people and the whole area. It lasted half a minute and then a roar of approval erupted. Merida couldn't help it, her lips had parted wide in a humongous grin and a very short, but nevertheless high pitched giggle escaped her mouth. She knew it was soon her turn to speak, but she briefly focused her gaze solely on her parents, to see if they were as pleased with Hiccup's speech as she was. To her great joy did her mother look positively moved and her father's grin matched her own.
"Now that we have heard your words, Chieftain of Berk," Said the officiator in a loud voice and the crowd fell silent once again, "may we all have your binding confirmation that you will be faithful to your queen and her subjects?"
"I will." Hiccup said from the bottom of his heart and he nodded.
"Now is the turn of our beloved Princess to speak of her vows. May we hear your words of new wisdom for the future and your devotion to our new king?"
"Yes." Merida answered the officiator directly, then she took a moment to give Hiccup a loving smile, then she turned resolutely towards her people.
"I, Princess Merida, first born of land Dun Broch once claimed my own hand in marriage. It was my way of showing the alliance that I didn't want my life to be planned out as part of a bound. It lead to much conflict and, as Hiccup says, we can't change who we are, but we can move forward. The reason it all went so wrong back then was because I wanted everyone to listen, but didn't actually know how to explain myself. Now I know, it is good to move forward, but that also means we have to adjust with every generation. Our alliance formed from the bravery to overlook conflicts and that is something to be admired and be inspired by. I am grateful to you all for allowing me to follow my heart and make Chieftain Hiccup of Berk my king. I know with him by my side I can stay kind and loving and will spread that very joy to all who follow me. Let's look to a bright future where old wounds can finally be healed and I promise you that I will listen to you and be the best queen I can be. I devote myself to you as I devote my heart to my king." Merida closed her eyes and showed her people her sincerety with a hamble bow. As a symbol of her gratitude and devotion to them. When she straightened op and once again adopted Elsa's way of grace, she could see the astonishment her gesture had created. Merida therefore smiled softly to all of them, before she turned to Hiccup and the officiator once more.
"Princess Merida of Dun Broch, may we have your binding word that you will be loyal to your king and will love and support him till even after you pass on your role to your first born?"
"I will." Merida confirmed with a warm smile and turned to Hiccup for the final time. As soon as she did she only vaguely noted what was happening around her. She did a step closer and Hiccup did the same.
"It gives me great pleasure to announce this marriage to be official. As of this moment we have our new king and Queen. Long live King Hiccup and Queen Merida!"
A roar of cheers burst forth, the loudest voice Merida recognised to be her father's, but she soon was completely lost to all but Hiccup's eyes and wonderful smile as they crossed the final distance between them and made their own binding seal with a deep and loving kiss.
AN: I hope made some of you go 'aaaaaawwwwww!' Thanks to How to train your Dragon 3 I know they did the cloth thing as well, but I am glad I got something else for the Viking wedding. It was really fun to research these ancient ceremonies. I am also very happy with Hiccup's speech. About Merida's I am still not sure, but at some point I stopped beating myself over it. What do you think? If you liked this chapter, please review!