Chapter 13

It had been five days since Hiccup had arrived in DunBroch and nearly three since he and Merida had been led to the standing stones by the will o' the wisps. Unfortunately the wisps had not appeared to them again and, thus far, they had no luck finding the witch's cottage on their own. Hiccup had begun to wonder if the wisps would ever show themselves again.

It was late in the afternoon when they decided to stop to rest after a long day of searching. On this particular day, thick gray clouds hung low in the sky, making the world below look darker than it should've been at that hour. It had been gloomy all day, there was a slight chill in the air and gradually the breeze had grown to a strong wind, giving every indication of a brewing storm.

Just as they dismounted Toothless the heavens opened up and a heavy rain began to fall. The thick rain drops pummeled the ground with hundreds of tiny thuds. Hiccup and Merida ran hand in hand to a nearby cave for shelter with Toothless following close behind. Merida and Hiccup nearly stumbled into the cave laughing hysterically, both already soaked to the bone. Toothless groaned as he shook off the rain from his head to his tail, causing them both to laugh even more as they ducked to avoid the flying water drops.

"Awe come on Toothless," Hiccup laughed, "like we weren't wet enough already. Toothless just sat on his haunches and seemed to smirk at Hiccup.

As Hiccup's laughter faded he turned to Merida. Her bright smile and laughter lit up her face making her positively breathtaking. His heart nearly melted at the sight. He quickly averted his gaze and turned his attention back to the pounding rain outside the mouth of the cave.

"Jeeze, that's a lot of rain," Hiccup chuckled as he wiped the dripping water from his face, "I feel like I just went for a swim."

"Well Dunbroch is known for the occasional torrential downpour," Merida replied with a grin, "if ye think this is bad ye should visit during the rainy season." She sighed as she lowered the hood of her cloak and pulled her long red hair over her shoulder. Then she attempted to wring the water out from her hair.

"That's nothing" he chuckled as he pushed his own soaking wet hair back and out of his face, "in Berk it snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three."

"Is that so," Merida replied.

"You think I'm joking," Hiccup replied, "we have four seasons in Berk. Mild winter, winter, devastating winter, and summer which is technically only a tad milder than mild winter."

"Sounds lovely," she replied sarcastically. Hiccup chuckled. A loud clap of thunder rumbled above them, causing them both to startle. They looked over to the mouth of the cave.

"Well," Hiccup sighed, "I guess this means our search for the witch is over for the day."

"Aye," Merida sighed in slight disappointment, "I really thought if we got close enough to where her cottage might be, that the wisps would have led us the rest o' the way, but it seems as if they've abandoned us."

"Or maybe they think finding this witch is not that great of an idea after all," Hiccup replied.

"Or maybe she simply doesn't want to be found," Merida replied with a grin as she raised an eyebrow at him. Hiccup nodded.

"Well, either way, I think maybe we should start coming up with another way to find out about this spell," he replied with a shrug.

"Aye," she replied, "I wish I knew where to start." She sighed heavily as she thought about it."I wish there was some way to know when the wisps would appear or...or that there was some way we could ask them for help."

"That would be ideal," Hiccup replied.

She sighed as she stepped up to the mouth the cave and gazed up at the falling rain drops. Hiccup followed after her, he leaned up against the opposite side of the cave entrance and gazed up at the rain and the low dark clouds. The sky above was dark gray, and was growing darker by the minute. There seemed to be no end in sight to the storm.

"Looks like we're going to be here a while," she said. Another deep rumble of thunder echoed above them. Hiccup nodded in reply.

"If this doesn't let up before dark I'm flying you home," Hiccup replied as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "I'll take my chances with the guards." Merida turned to him and chuckled.

"Well, at least a night in the dungeon would be dry," Merida replied with a smirk.

"Leave it to you to find the bright side of being thrown in a dungeon," Hiccup chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. She smiled up at him before turning her eyes back to the rain.

Hiccup turned and gazed at her for a long moment smiling slightly. He could feel his heart flutter as he took in the beautiful sight before him. Her red hair cascaded over her shoulder shimmering like a waterfall. Her hair looked even longer weighed down by the rain and her normally wild curls seemed almost tame. Despite the dismal and cloudy day, her light blue eyes still sparkled in what little light was left and the water droplets that dotted her skin nearly glistened, giving her an almost angelic glow. Hiccup shook his head as he realized he was staring once again and he quickly averted his gaze.

Over the past week, he had found himself admiring her more often, gazing at her longer than he should at times, and silently longing for even just a touch of her hand. Whenever he was around her it felt as if the hollow places that had always been inside him didn't feel quite so hollow anymore. It seemed the more time he spent with her, the more he liked her, and the stronger his feelings seemed to become.

For the past few days he couldn't stop thinking about their previous conversation. The more he thought of all her reasons to avoid love, the more he longed to persuade her otherwise. He couldn't put his finger on why it felt so pertinent to do so, but he was determined to try. There was still a chance after all, albeit small and riddled with obstacles, it still existed and for the first time in years he felt almost brave enough to let his heart take a chance again. Almost.

Even so, he didn't know exactly what he should do about his feelings. At first he questioned wether he was having real feelings for this girl that he'd only just met, or if he was simply infatuated with her because she looked so much like the woman from his great great grandfather's journal. Though he'd tried to rationalize them, it was becoming fairly obvious that his feelings were growing and getting harder and harder to ignore. He found himself thinking of her when they were apart, looking for ways to make her smile when they were together or even an excuse to hold her hand.

Though he wanted to tell her how he was feeling, he wasn't sure he should. In fact there were a number of things that seemed to be hindering him from doing so. First there was the fact that they'd only known each other for barely a week. Could he really be falling for someone he'd only just met? Though it felt as if they'd known each other longer, they still had much to learn about one another, and there was still much they didn't know. They were still just beginning to get to know each other.

Then there was the fact that he was a Viking, an unfortunate fact that he knew would be a problem. Her mother did not think highly of Vikings. And, judging by what happened to their grandparents, he didn't think her people would think very highly of him either. If he were to pursue her, it would take much effort to prove himself.

Then of course there was the fear of his feelings being unrequited. He couldn't tell if she felt anything more than friendship for him. Though, there were moments when he thought she might, still he couldn't be sure. She'd never said anything outright nor given him much of any indication that she did. Except for maybe the one time when she kissed his cheek the day they met but even that could have been just in friendship. There were times when he thought that he'd been nearly transparent about his feelings around her and yet she never really even seemed to notice. If she had noticed, she had never really acknowledged it. It sort of made him feel as though she didn't have interest in him other than friendship. But then there were times that she would turn around and tell him something she admired about him, which only caused him to question himself and his feelings even more. It was all very confusing to him.

He took a deep breath as his thoughts began to overwhelm him. Maybe his mother was right after all, maybe he did tend to overcomplicate things. He sighed as Valka's previous words flashed through his mind.

...

"When it comes to love you shouldn't have to overthink things. With true love, there is no doubts, no second guessing, and nothing could dare come between you." Hiccup gazed at his mother in surprise.

"You need to stop punishing yourself for what happened with Astrid and move on," Valka said firmly, "don't close your heart completely just because you've been hurt once." Hiccup nodded as he pondered his mother's words. He turned his eyes back to the horizon.

"Hiccup, when you find the one you're meant for," Valka continued, "you'll know it, without question, "you'll feel it in your soul."

...

He sighed as the words flashed through his mind. He still didn't quite know how to define his feelings for Merida. Was this love? At times it certainly felt like love. At the very least it could be the beginnings of love. But then if there was any truth to Valka's words, if there was no doubts or second guessing when it came to love, was the fact that he wasn't sure an indication that this wasn't love at all. Could his feelings just be some intense feelings of infatuation after all?

He shook his head slightly as he tried to rationalize his feelings. He still could not explain his and Merida's immediate connection, nor the chemistry they seemed to have from the start. He couldn't rationalize why he couldn't stop thinking about her since the moment they met, nor why his heart raced every time she was near. He thought back to the first day they met.

...

"I thought ye would of at least put up a little bit of a fight, then I could brag to my brothers how I single handedly killed an evil Viking!" Hiccup shook his head in amusement and confusion.

"Sorry to disappoint you," he replied in a questioning tone. She slowly un-notched her arrow and replaced it in her quiver as she brushed the mess of red curls away from her face.

"Stand up ye glaikit Viking," Merida huffed. Hiccup quickly got back on his feet. He stared at her unwittingly, still shocked by the uncanny resemblance between her and the girl in the sketch, and completely taken by her beauty. His heart seemed to be racing as he gazed at her.

"What," she asked defensively, "what are ye staring at?"

"I...I'm not...sorry," Hiccup said, quickly averting his eyes, "uh...no, uh I meant I am sorry, I...I didn't mean to...that is, you just look...so...familiar." He grinned at her sheepishly. He could feel his face flush slightly and prayed she didn't notice. She gazed up at him trying to stifle her amusement as he stumbled on his words.

...

It seemed Hiccup was completely taken with her from the start, it was her beauty that had struck him at first sight, but it was so much more than that now. It was practically everything about her that drew him to her, but it was her heart the drew him most of all. Her heart was limitless, and genuine, and pure. The level to which she seemed to genuinely care about those around her and even about a guy she had just met, astounded him. She was beautiful inside and out and he wanted nothing more than to be around her. Though he didn't know if what he was feeling was love, what he knew for certain was that he was happiest when they were together. It was the happiest he'd been in very a long time and he certainly didn't want that feeling to end. He just wanted to be with her more and more. He sighed heavily.

Maybe overthinking was the problem. Maybe thinking about it too much was hindering him from taking a real chance. Maybe he should just stop thinking and just let things happen as they may. Maybe he should just take a leap of faith.

"Easier said then done," he thought to himself. Up until this point he had all but given up on the idea of love. It was not because he didn't believe in it but because he feared the uncertainty of it. There were too many variables when it came to love, too many unpredictable elements, too many things that could go wrong, and far too many unforeseen obstacles. He wasn't sure his heart was ready to try again, and yet the very thought of finding love again with her seemed to be all he could think about. As he grappled with these conflicting thoughts, Merida's words from days ago ran through his mind.

...

"It's okay ye know," she replied, "to be afraid." Hiccup glanced at her curiously.
"Ye've been hurt," Merida stated matter of factly, "but it seems to me yer not afraid of love itself as much as yer afraid of failing at it." Hiccup just gazed at her once again struck wordless by her ability to talk sense into him.

"Her happiness is a reminder of yer failure," Merida went on, "yer afraid of going through that heartbreak again, but ye cannae let that fear stop ye from finding love again." She stepped closer to him and pressed a hand firmly to his chest.

"Ye need to open yer heart to the possibility," she shrugged, "otherwise when love does find ye, and it will, ye could miss it."

...

Hiccup sighed again. He was afraid. Though he'd never truly admitted it to anyone but her, he feared it just the same. He was afraid of rejection, he was afraid of the possibility of another heartbreak, he was afraid she wouldn't feel the same. But mostly he was afraid he'd screw it up again, like he had with Astrid.

For certain what had happened with Astrid had left some scars. Though he'd done his best to overcome them, they still stung. At times they hurt just as much as the day they were made. Most of that was from his own guilt in the matter. While he had blamed her for the break-up initially, he could no longer deny the fact that it was just as much his fault, if not more, that things had ended as it did. He was the one who took their relationship for granted. He was the one that treated her like an afterthought at times. When his dad died it was even worse. Despite Astrid's many attempts to get through to him, he shut her out completely. The truth was that it was mostly his fault that they broke up. In his self-pity he simply told himself love wasn't for him. But now he had begun to question his own judgement in the matter. He shook his head as he tried to push his conflicting thoughts to the back of his mind.

Merida shuddered slightly as a gust of wind blew past them both. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself in what seemed a fleeting attempt for warmth. Hiccup turned to her when he noticed her shiver.

"You cold," he asked in genuine concern.

"Aye," Merida replied as she continued to shiver, "it has gotten a wee bit chilly hasn't it."

"Well I'm sure it doesn't help that your cloak is soaked through," Hiccup replied.

"Come on," he said as he took her by the hand and led her back into the cave, "you get that wet cloak off before you catch a cold, and I'll get a fire started." Merida smiled up at him as she followed him back inside. As he gathered as many dry twigs as he could find in the cave, she peeled the sopping wet cloak from herself and began to wring it out. She then hung it up on a rock that jutted out from a place on the cave wall. Hiccup dropped the wood he managed to find in a small pile on the ground before him. He then pulled his dragon blade from its holster at his hip then extended the blade and ignited it. He held the flame to the wood pile until it began to smolder. Merida gazed at him wide-eyed, intrigued at the sight of the flaming sword.

"What is that," she questioned in intrigue.

"What," Hiccup questioned as he looked up at her. He saw her eyes glued to the still ignited dragon blade.

"Oh this," he said in realization as he held up the blade. Merida nodded.

"It's a dragon blade," he replied, "I call it Inferno. Some people have said that it's a stupid name, but I like it. I think it makes it sound more formidable." He extinguished the flame and handed it over to her. She took the blade carefully in her hand and examined it.

"Just don't touch the blade just yet," he smirked, "it's probably still hot."
"How does it work," she questioned as she wielded the blade expertly in her hand. Hiccup watched her in interest.

"Well it, uh, it kinda works like a flint and stone," Hiccup replied, "here look." Merida paused as Hiccup approached her. He pointed to a switch on the hilt.

"This causes a spark which ignites the flame," he said simply.

"But how does the blade withstand the flame," she asked curiously.

"Well, this particular blade is made of Gronkle iron," Hiccup replied, "a friend of mine discovered it, we found that the metal is extremely strong and highly heat resistant."

"Amazing," she replied.

"Yeah but also a problem when your trying to make a flaming sword," Hiccup replied as he took the blade back, "but there is a specific dragon in Berk called a Monstrous Nightmare. They produce this thick green gel that's highly flammable. They use it to basically set themselves on fire. So I thought I could use it on my blade. In the hilt is a canister of it." He opened the hilt to show her.

"So when I retract the blade," he demonstrated, "it sits in the gel." He extended the blade again before her eyes and then hit the switch to ignite the blade.

"The spark ignites the flammable gel that coats the blade." He extinguished the flame and retracted the blade.

"That's amazing Hiccup," she replied. He smiled at her proudly.

"Thanks," he replied. He smiled at her.

"You know," he sighed as he replaced the blade in its holster, "you're not so bad with a sword." She blushed slightly at his compliment.

"Thanks, my dad taught me," she replied with a shrug, "I'm not perfect but as ye know my weapon of choice is not a sword." Hiccup chuckled slightly.

"Oh I know," he grinned.

"So...yer an inventor as well," she replied changing the subject, "just like yer great great grand-da."

"Yeah," he replied as he thought about it, "I guess that's another thing I have in common with him." She smiled slightly as she nodded.

"What else do ye have in common with him," she asked.

"Oh...I don't know...smaller stature," he said sarcastically as he chuckled. Merida smirked at him.

"What, it's true," he replied defensively as he crossed his arms over his chest, "that's why his name was Hiccup to begin with." Merida gazed at him incredulously.

"I thought ye said that was to scare away trolls," she replied flatly.

"That too," he smirked, "but also because he was smaller than most Vikings. Like I said before, Vikings like their offspring to be big and strong. A smaller scrawnier child would've been seen as an unfortunate accident of the Gods...ya know a hiccup."

"That's terrible," she replied.

"It is what it is," Hiccup shrugged, "he did turn out to be a great leader though. I like to think I was named after him for that reason rather than the former, but most likely it was for my disappointing size." Merida shook her head and sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ye know Hiccup," Merida replied, "it's not often that ye speak well of yer self."

"Yeah well, I guess that's what happens when your entire village ridicules you practically your whole life," he replied sarcastically, "you develop a jaded outlook on life." He shook his head, "honestly if I wasn't the chief's son I'm pretty certain that my village would have decided to use me for dragon bait a long time ago."

"Aye, well even if that may be," Merida replied, "ye've more than proven yer self since then." Hiccup gazed at her curiously. Merida smiled slightly.

"I mean, yer not a wee lad anymore Hiccup," Merida replied with a soft smile, "yer a grown man. Think of all ye've done since then, all ye've accomplished, despite how yer village saw ye. Ye more than showed yer clan what yer worth. They accepted ye as their Chief didn't they?" Hiccup nodded. She stepped closer to him as she smiled up at him.

Maybe it's time ye just...put all o' that negative stuff behind ye," she continued, "and take pride in who ye are right now. Because who ye are right now is pretty impressive if ye ask me." She raised an eyebrow at him as she grinned.

He smiled warmly at her, though, once again at a loss for words. He felt a blush arise on his cheeks and he prayed it was hidden by the glow of the fire. It seemed she never could cease to amaze him with her thoughtful words. He wished he could see himself the way she seemed to see him. Just knowing that she thought so highly of him made him want to live up to her expectations all the more. For a moment he thought even if she were the only one to have such faith in him, even if she were the only person in this world to ever see him in such a way, he could be happy the rest of his life. He suddenly realized that he was staring at her once again. He quickly averted his eyes.

"Maybe you're right," he replied as he looked at her once more, "maybe it is time I...I...moved on." Merida smiled up at him. He smiled back at her as he gazed at her longingly once again. He noticed a few strands of her wet hair were still sticking to the side of her face. Without thought, he lifted his hand to her soft cheek and gently brushed the wet strands back from her beautiful face. He paused for a long moment as if debating his actions.

Merida felt her heart pounding as he gazed at her. The feel of his hand on her cheek caused her breath to hitch, and the intense way he looked at her caused her to tremble slightly. She wondered what he was thinking when he looked at her in such a way. It was not the first time she'd noticed his intense gaze and she couldn't help but be reminded of the Viking gazing at her in her dream. His gaze made her nervous, and caused her heart to race.

As if suddenly coming to his senses, Hiccup shook his head and averted his eyes once again. He dropped his hand from her face and took a step back. Merida sighed slightly.

"You're still cold," he said as if he'd suddenly remembered, "uh...s-sit down by the fire." He gazed at her as he backed away a few more steps, then turned and jogged over to Toothless.

"So," she sighed as she sat upon the dusty floor of the cave,"what else do ye have in common, with Hiccup the first?" Hiccup thought about it for a moment as he began to rummage through the bag on Toothless' saddle. He pulled a furry blanket out and turned back to her.

"Maybe his way of thinking about things," he replied as he opened the folded blanket and draped it around her shoulders. Merida looked up at him and smiled as she wrapped the warm blanket around herself.

"What do ye mean exactly," Merida asked.

"Well, he...he sorta had a...a scientific way of thinking about things, Hiccup replied, "I think I'm a lot like him that way. It...it seems like he did a lot of observing," Hiccup replied. He sat down beside her with his legs crossed.

"I mean, just judging by his journal," Hiccup continued, "he recorded a lot of what he observed, and he studied things to understand them better. I've always been like that too." Merida nodded.

"In fact he happens to be one of the original authors of our dragon manual," Hiccup glanced at her as he spoke.

"Dragon manual," she questioned.

"It's a book of all the different dragon species and what we know about them, abilities, weaknesses that sort of thing," he replied, "of course since we've made peace with the dragons I've been updating the information myself with new things we learn about them, ya know, since we can study them better now. I've also been adding new entries as we discover new dragon species."

"I'd like to see that," she replied in interest, "how many different kinds of dragons are there?"

"That we know of," Hiccup asked. Merida nodded. He paused and thought for a moment.

"About a hundred and twenty seven," he replied, "so far anyway." She gazed at him wide-eyed.

"That's a lot of dragons," she replied in surprise. Hiccup nodded. He gazed at her curiously. He turned his eyes back to the fire and the two fell into a comfortable silence.

"Of course having a scientific way of thinking, can kinda feel like a curse at times," he replied absentmindedly.

"Why is that," Merida asked.

"Because I tend to think about things a little too much sometimes, and over analyze practically everything," Hiccup sighed, "it can be a little frustrating at times. Especially in situations where overthinking can be...detrimental." Merida furrowed her brow as she tried to decipher his meaning. Hiccup looked at her feeling slightly self-conscious.

"Like for example," Hiccup paused a moment as he carefully weighed his words, "like...uh...situations involving emotions. Emotions can be a little tricky for someone who thinks that way."

"Why is that," Merida asked.

"Because," he sighed, "emotions don't make any sense, ya know, they...they are u-unpredictable, unreliable, a-and uncontrollable. And there is never ever a simple answer to make sense of them."

"Of course not," Merida replied matter-of-factly. Hiccup furrowed his brow in slight confusion as he gazed at her.

"Emotions are...are feelings," Merida replied, "ye can't think about them with yer head, ye...ye feel them with yer heart." He looked back at the fire as he thought about what she said.

"Ever hear the saying, 'follow yer heart'," she questioned. Hiccup looked back at her and nodded.

"Of course," Hiccup replied, "who hasn't, I...I mean, but that's just something people say when there is no easy answer."

"Well I think they say it because yer head is often wrong," Merida replied, "or at least flawed."

"How do you mean," he asked curiously.

"Well, sometimes what seems like the right answer in here," she pointed to his head, "is often the wrong answer in here." She pointed to his heart. He furrowed his brow at her.

"Take Toothless for instance," she went on, "why didn't ye just kill him?"

"Because it was wrong, "Hiccup replied immediately.

"Even though yer whole life ye were taught to fear him," Merida replied, "even though ye were raised to hate dragons and...and ye were told they were the enemy." Hiccup nodded again.

"Why," she questioned.

"Well I...I didn't really think about it," he replied, "I just knew,...it...it felt wrong.

"Aye," Merida replied, "yer heart told ye it was wrong." Hiccup nodded as he thought about it.

"I guess that makes sense," Hiccup replied.

"It's like when I met ye," Merida went on, "I had no reason to trust ye. All my life my mum has warned me about Vikings. She told me they were nothin' more than blood thirsty heathens that would kill whoever stood in their way. I knew in my head all Vikings were bad. But then ye knelt before me, and ye surrendered. And though it could have been a trick, my heart told me otherwise. I...I just knew ye were different, that I had no need to fear."

Hiccup smiled warmly in her direction. His heart fluttered at her words.

"Not that ye shouldn't also use yer head," Merida went on, "sometimes yer heart can make yer judgment a bit cloudy." She paused as she thought about it more. "Maybe it's all about finding the right balance between yer head and yer heart." She sighed as she stared into the fire. "Maybe ye can get into trouble when ye lean to far one way or the other." She chuckled. Hiccup looked at her curiously as he thought over what she had said. Merida glanced at him briefly.

"I mean, for example," she went on, "sometimes I tend to let my emotions cloud my judgement a bit, which can also be detrimental...in...in certain situations."

"You," Hiccup replied in mock surprise, "no!"

"Clam up ye glaikit viking " Merida chuckled as she pushed him. Hiccup turned his eyes back to the fire as he laughed.

"I admit," Merida sighed, "I did sort o' overreact a bit when we first met."

"Oh, just a bit," he replied sarcastically, "is that all?" Merida rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I apologized didn't I," she huffed.

"Well, it was kind of a little flattering," Hiccup replied, "not many people would mistake me for a womanizer."

"Ye think it was flattering for me to mistake ye for a cad," Merida replied in annoyance.

"Well when you put it like that," Hiccup laughed. Merida smirked at him.

"What made you change your mind anyway," Hiccup questioned amidst his laughter. Merida paused as she thought about it.

"I...I don't know exactly," she replied with a shrug, "It was a...a feeling I guess, something in me just told me to...to give ye a chance, that there was more to ye than meets the eye." Hiccup gazed at her in intrigue. He wondered if the feeling she had that first day to give him a chance was the same feeing he had to not let her go.

"Well," he sighed, "I guess that makes us the perfect pair then." He glanced at her briefly from the corner of his eye. "Maybe we could really balance each other out, ya know."

Merida smiled at his comment as a slight blush formed on her cheeks.

"Ya know," Hiccup went on, "you can act irrationally about a problem, and I'll over-analyze it and then maybe we will manage to find the answer somewhere in the middle."

"Over emotional is not the same thing as irrational," she groaned.

"If you say so," he replied.

"Hiccup," she exclaimed as she hit him playfully in the arm.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he laughed. She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him.

You're too easy," he laughed. Merida giggled slightly as she turned her eyes back to the fire.

"Well, we've talked enough about me, what about you," he asked changing the subject, "what do you think you have in common with Mairead?" Merida paused as she thought about it for a long moment.

"Well," it's strange," Merida replied, "all my life I've been told about her, how great a queen she was, how regal, how proper." She paused a moment as she looked back at Hiccup.

"We have this grand portrait of her in the study," she went on, "and she looks like the perfect lady, beautiful and poised and every bit the queen she was. I just remember staring at it sometimes and thinking how on earth was I expected to live up to such perfection. But now...now from what I've read in her journal, it turns out she wasn't so perfect after all, was she? I mean, she disagreed with her parents, she had arguments with her mother, a-and she longed to be free of the expectations of her station. Not to mention she broke many rules." Merida looked up at Hiccup and grinned slightly.

"Now that I've seen her in this new light, I think I have more in common with her than I ever thought before," she replied. Hiccup smiled at her.

"That and your crazy red hair," he chuckled.

"Aye, that too," Merida laughed, "oh and archery, my father always told me that she was an expert archer. In fact when he taught me, I took to it so quickly that he said I was a natural and that I must've gotten it from her."

"Well that is something I can definitely attest to," Hiccup smirked as he raised an eyebrow at her, "having been on the receiving end of your bow, you are definitely an expert."

"Hiccup," she laughed as she pushed him playfully.

"What," he laughed, "it's true...I mean I was legitimately afraid for my life!" Merida rolled her eyes. She grinned suddenly as a thought occurred to her.

"Ye wanna hear something crazy," Merida asked.

"What's that," Hiccup questioned.

"From what I've read in her journal," Merida continued, "Mairead learned to shoot from none other than yer great great grandfather." Hiccup gazed at her in surprise.

"My grandfather taught your grandmother archery," he questioned in surprise. Merida nodded.

"Aye, it was the first rule they broke," Merida replied, "it seems her mother was a lot like mine, totally against her daughter learning to fight, or even having a weapon at all."

"That's actually pretty interesting," he replied.

"Aye," she sighed dreamily, "ye wanna know why I think Mairead liked Hiccup the first best of all?"

"Why," Hiccup asked in intrigue.

"Because," she sighed as she gazed into the warm fire, "he never treated her like a princess. He only saw her as she was not what she was expected to be." Hiccup smiled at her answer. She turned her eyes to him and smiled back.

"He saw right through to the real her and he loved her, imperfections and all," she dropped her eyes to the ground and sighed softly, "I think that's all she ever really wanted." She turned her eyes back to the fire and gazed at it with a far off look in her eye. Hiccup smiled tenderly in her direction. He reached over and gently took her hand in his.

"You'll find that too ya know," he said softly. She turned to him with a look of uncertainty on her face. Though she had every intention of keeping her heart open and giving real love a chance, she still remained slightly skeptical that the kind of love she longed for could ever truly be found. She had never been a typical girl, she never dreamed of finding her true love, she never thought about her future wedding, she was far to busy learning to fight and ride. She was busy trying to avoid being a princess. But the older she got the thoughts of finding love grew more and more. Especially more recently. It seemed after her conversation with Hiccup days ago, she now couldn't stop thinking about love and the possibility of finding it. Before the possibility seemed like some far off notion that wasn't truly real. But Hiccup made her see things in a new light. He made her realize that love, though unpredictable was still something that was worth finding and that she shouldn't give up on the possibility. Now as he gazed at her, she could feel her heart fluttering and she had begun to wonder if love might not be so far off a notion anymore. Maybe, perhaps, it was even right in front of her.

Over the past week she had begun to notice her feelings for Hiccup were growing every day, but she was still uncertain what that meant. For certain Hiccup was her first true friend. He seemed to genuinely care for her, and he seemed to like her just as she was, of this she had no doubt. But the way he looked at her sometimes caused her heart to skip and she began to wonder if he felt anything more.

"Ye really think so," she questioned. Hiccup leaned a little closer to her and smiled. He held his breath as he gazed into her sky blues eyes that sparkled radiantly in the glow of the fire. He could feel his heart flutter as he absentmindedly leaned just a little closer. His mind was racing and he struggled to formulate his jumbled thoughts into words. His heart seemed to be screaming at him to tell her how he really felt, but his fear of doing so was still deep-rooted in his mind.

Merida gazed up at him anxiously as she awaited his response. Under the weight of her gaze Hiccup felt as if he couldn't breath. Her blue eyes were nearly hypnotic and Hiccup found himself practically unable to turn away.

"Of...of course," he stuttered as he gazed at her longingly, "I...uh...I...I think..." He hesitated a moment as he seemed to lose the words he was trying to say. He unwittingly leaned a little closer.

Merida just gazed up into his green eyes as she felt her heart begin to race. Without thinking she leaned slightly towards him. She didn't quite know how to define her feelings for Hiccup. All she knew in this moment was that she genuinely cared for this man, and he seemed to genuinely care for her. Her mind flashed back to their earlier conversation.

...

"You're an amazing person Merida," Hiccup said, "I mean, you're beautiful, your witty, smart, fearless and...just...amazing with that bow of your's." He chuckled under his breath. Merida continued to gaze up at him as a blush arose on her cheeks. Hiccup leaned a little closer to her as he continued to look into her eyes.

"Everything you just said, everything you want in a relationship...you deserve to have all of it. You deserve to be happy," he said firmly, "and you're crazy if you think that there is no one in this world that could see past your title to who you are in here." He pointed to her heart.

...

Now they sat before the fire gazing at one another, so close that if he'd leaned just a tad closer, he could have kissed her if he wanted to. She almost wished he would. That way she would know what his feelings really were. They were friends, of that she was certain, but there were times that he would look at her in such a way that it caused her heart to flutter. He seemed as drawn to her as she was to him. But she was still unsure what that meant exactly. As she gazed back at him her father's words echoed through her mind.

...

"Well ye've always followed yer own path. lass," Fergus replied, "Yer independent, self reliant, those are all very good things, but someday ye may want something more, ye may find ye want someone to walk the path with ye. Someone that cares for ye, that ye laugh with, someone that challenges ye, and is not afraid to tell ye yer wrong." Merida sighed as her father spoke.

"All I'm saying lass, is to just live with an open heart. If ye keep yer heart opened to at least the possibility, then love will be sure to find ye in time, maybe even when ye least expect it."
...

"I...I think it...it's just uh...uh...a matter of time," Hiccup stuttered as he continued to gaze at her. He could feel his mouth go dry as he silently resisted the urge to move closer. "I...I...mean...uh as long as you keep an opened heart and an opened mind." He reluctantly leaned away from her and averted his gaze. Merida sighed slightly and turned her eyes back to the fire. Maybe these feelings were all in her head. Hiccup was only the first boy to ever show genuine interest in her as a person rather than a princess. Perhaps that's what drew her to him, perhaps she was only infatuated with the idea of it being more. She wrapped her arms around her legs pulling the blanket tighter around her and then rested her chin upon her knees.

"I'm not so sure I believe that entirely," she muttered to herself.

The sound of Toothless' stomach growling disturbed the silence, causing both to look up at the dragon. Toothless groaned in annoyance as he glanced back and forth between Hiccup and Merida.

"What are ya hungry bud," Hiccup asked as he stood and made his way over to Toothless. He reached for the bag of food.

"Let me see what's left," he said as he rifled through the bag. He found a few pieces of dried fish. He tossed them to Toothless. Toothless quickly gobbled them up and sniffed at Hiccup looking for more.

"Sorry bud," Hiccup shrugged, "that's all that's left except for a few apples. Did ya want one of those?" Toothless snorted in discontent.

"Yeah I didn't think so," Hiccup chuckled, "we'll catch some more fish after this storm let's up, okay bud."

As Hiccup hooked the bag back onto Toothless' saddle, he subtly peered around the dragon to see Merida. She sat quietly gazing into the fire. He didn't know why he got so flustered around her. He quickly turned away and leaned his back up against Toothless as he gazed blankly up at the ceiling of the cave. He sighed heavily. Toothless turned to him and growled curiously. Hiccup turned to face the dragon.

"It's nothing bud, I'm fine," he replied in a low voice. Toothless stared at him disbelievingly. He softly nudged Hiccup forward. Hiccup turned to the dragon once again.

"What," Hiccup asked in slight annoyance. Toothless nodded in Merida's direction and then batted his eyes. Hiccup groaned.

"No bud, it...it's not like that," he replied, "we're just...we're just friends." He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed again. Toothless raised an eyebrow at Hiccup and gave him a sideways look, as if to say, "are ya serious?" Hiccup rolled his eyes again.

"What," Hiccup questioned in annoyance, "don't look at me like that."

Toothless rolled his eyes and shook his head. He wondered why his rider was such a dunce when it came to Merida. It was so obvious, to him at least, that they both felt something for each other. But each of them seemed to be oblivious to how the other felt. He wondered why humans made something that should be so simple, so difficult. Perhaps it was some kind of mating ritual that humans had that he just didn't understand. If that were the case, it didn't make any sense to him whatsoever. Honestly, it seemed completely counter productive to showing the opposite sex you were interested. Toothless huffed slightly. He was thankful he was not a human. Humans had a tendency to overcomplicate everything especially when it came to love. It seemed that humans tended to think too much about things that ought not to involve thought at all. Choosing a mate was about instinct and chemistry and feelings.When dragons choose a mate they choose with their heart. He didn't understand why humans seemed to distrust their hearts so much.

Toothless huffed as he made his way back over to the fire and curled up beside it. He closed his heavy eyelids. Hiccup followed him. With a heavy sigh, Hiccup sat down beside the dragon and leaned his back up against his side. He lifted his eyes to Merida across the way. She still sat quietly staring into the fire seemingly in deep thought and he wondered what could be weighing on her mind. He turned his eyes back to the fire and sighed.

A gust of wind blew through the opening of the cave once more causing him to shiver slightly. This did not go unnoticed by Merida. She stood without a word and made her way over to him. She took the blanket from around her and held it out to Hiccup. He looked up at her curiously.

"I'm fine," he replied, "you keep it."

"I saw ye shiver," Merida replied skeptically, "go on take it." Hiccup still refused.

"I'll not have ye freeze to death because ye gave me yer only blanket," Merida replied insistently. Hiccup continued to gaze up at her, still refusing to take the blanket from her. Merida sighed as she smiled down at him.

"If it makes ye feel any better we could just share it," she replied simply, "it's big enough for the both of us." Hiccup smiled up at her in amusement as he took the blanket from her hand. He leaned forward and wrapped it around himself. He then held the other side of the blanket up, inviting her to sit beside him. She sat down next to him and he draped the other side of the blanket around her shoulder. Merida sighed in content as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Hiccup could feel his heart flutter as she sat so close beside him. As if by habit he leaned his head against the top of her's. The two sat quietly gazing at the fire both feeling completely content just being in each other's company.

Toothless opened his one eye slightly and peered in their direction. He smiled slightly to himself. He and Hiccup were connected on a deep spiritual level from day one, they were in tune with each other's thoughts and feelings which is why they made such a great team, and why the two were inseparable best friends. Toothless could sense Hiccup's contentment, and he knew it was because of Merida. Honestly as long as he'd known his rider, this was the most at ease he'd ever been. It seemed his rider had finally found his place. Now, if only Toothless could just help him to realize it.