Chapter 19
...
Eight-year-old Eret walked slowly forward as he gazed at his ill mother in trepidation. She lay silent and still in her bed looking out the window with a distant look in her eye. When she noticed that he had entered the room she turned to face him. Despite her sickly pallor, his mother smiled brightly in his direction.
"Come now," she called as she held her hand out to him, "don't be afraid." Eret stepped slowly forward and when he reached her, he nearly fell into her waiting arms. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and a deep aching in his heart.
"Ye are my brave boy," she said softly as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed the top of his head, "ye must continue to be so." Eret nodded as he leaned into her and wiped away the few tears that escaped his eyes. She sighed as she pulled him into the bed beside her, "I have something for ye."
She reached to a box on her nightstand as she spoke. She opened it and pulled a chain and pendant from it. She pulled his hand forward and placed the pendant gently in his palm. He gazed at the all too familiar pendant questioningly and then turned his eyes back to his mother. She smiled warmly.
"It's yer's now," she said softly, "as it was always meant to be." Eret looked down at the pendant as he gently traced the engraving of the sword upon it. He gently turned the pendant in his fingers to see the dragon on the other side.
"As ye know, this belonged to yer father, "He gave it to me for safe keepin' before he was lost. He said I was to give it to ye when ye were grown." Eret just continued to gaze at her questioningly.
"I know I haven't told ye much about him before," she sighed remorsefully, "I always told myself I'd wait till ye were older to tell ye the whole truth. Perhaps I was wrong to wait and I'm sorry for that. But it's time ye knew about him." Her eyes dropped to the pendant in Eret's hand. "That has been passed down from father to son since yer great grandfather, the sword symbol on it is yer family crest." Eret looked up at her in intrigue.
"What is the dragon emblem," Eret asked. His mother smiled, "Yer father was told by his father that the dragon was the symbol of his clan, the dragon represents strength, honor, and courage. Eret nodded as he gazed at the face of the dragon in interest.
"Ye don't know this," she went on, "but ye come from a long line, and ye have prestigious roots. Yer father always meant to find his lost family; he searched all his life for the home he never knew. She turned her eyes back to the window with a sad look in her eyes.
"Perhaps if he had lived," she sighed, "he might one day have taken us with him to find that home."
…
Eret sat up suddenly from his slumber causing both Fish and Hiccup to look over at him in concern. He could feel his heart pounding and it took him a moment to clear his head. It had been years since he had thought about the time before his mother's death. The dream depicted one of the last good memories he ever had of his mother. The memory was crystal clear, and he felt almost as if he were back in that moment instantly. It caused his heart to feel heavy and he tried his best to keep it from showing. He looked around in bewilderment for a moment, then shook his head as he realized where he was. He turned to see Hiccup gazing at him curiously.
"Bad dream," Hiccup questioned. Eret sighed heavily as he leaned forward and attempted to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"You could say that," he replied dismissively as he stood from his place. He walked over to the creek, then crouched down beside it and splashed the cold water on his face. Hiccup followed after him.
"What was it about exactly," Hiccup asked curiously.
"Nothing," Eret replied in slight frustration, "don't worry about it!" Hiccup gazed at Eret in concern. Eret had seemed off ever since they had returned from the meeting place the day before and try as he might, Hiccup could not quite put his finger on the cause of Eret's sudden change in demeanor. For the rest of that day and night Eret had kept to himself mostly, and had barely spoken a word to either him or Fish. It was clear to Hiccup that something was weighing on him, but Eret would not say what it was. Hiccup assumed that it may have something to do with his fears about his impending fatherhood. Perhaps confiding in Hiccup had brought all his worries to the front of his mind which had inadvertently resulted in a nightmare. Hiccup sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Ya know Eret," he said, "if there is one thing I've learned since all of this started, it's that you shouldn't take dreams lightly." Eret remained crouched down by the water as he quietly thought over Hiccup's words. He glanced over his shoulder briefly but remained silent.
"Look," Hiccup sighed, "you don't have to tell me, but it might help talking about it. I know we've been through a lot and all, but you can still talk to me...as a friend." Eret shook his head. He could feel the frustration building up in his heart as Hiccup spoke.
"But we're not friends, are we Hic," Eret snapped as he turned and glared at Hiccup from over his shoulder, "or did you forget?" With that Eret stood quickly from his place and pushed past Hiccup. Hiccup gazed at him in both confusion and frustration. He quickly stormed after Eret.
"Hey what gives Eret," Hiccup yelled, "ya know, I thought that we actually made a little progress yesterday, I mean we talked like we used to before everything that happened. And then what, just like that we're back to being at odds? What happened? What is going on with you?" Eret paused and turned back to Hiccup.
"I told you, it's nothing," Eret replied, "please...just leave it alone, okay."
"It's not nothing Eret," Hiccup replied firmly, "you only ever get all defensive like this when something is bothering you, which clearly something is. So, what is it, what's going on?" Eret sighed heavily as he dropped his eyes to the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head as he debated what to say.
"Eret," Hiccup said, "talk to me." Eret sighed heavily once again.
"It…it's my mother," Eret replied softly.
"Your mother," Hiccup repeated in slight confusion.
"The dream," Eret replied, "it was about my mother." Hiccup gazed at Eret in intrigue.
"What exactly about your mother," Hiccup asked. Eret shook his head and sighed heavily once again as he debated telling Hiccup anything more.
"It was the last memory I have of her," Eret replied, "and if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it mate, so just drop it, okay." With that Eret walked off without looking back. Hiccup shook his head as he watched him go.
"Sheesh," Fishlegs said as he came up beside Hiccup, "what's got him all wound up?" Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to watch Eret walk away.
"I don't know," Hiccup replied.
"W-well, do you think we should go after him," Fish questioned.
"No," Hiccup replied as he kept his eyes on Eret, "let him go, clearly he needs to figure out whatever's bothering him on his own." Hiccup turned and then headed over to Toothless. He sighed heavily as he mounted the dragon.
"W-where are you going," Fish asked.
"I'm heading to the meeting place," Hiccup replied," I won't be long. Hopefully by the time I get back, Eret might be over whatever's bothering him."
"I don't know Hic," Fish replied, "like you, Eret also has a tendency to brood." Hiccup rolled his eyes at Fishlegs' comment.
"I'll be back," Hiccup replied as he and Toothless turned and headed in the opposite direction.
Dunbroch castle
Merida could not wait to read the letter from Hiccup this morning. Upon her arrival home, she lingered in the stable with Angus instead of rushing back to the castle. As soon as she had dismounted the horse, she made sure his food and water were filled. She then settled herself comfortably upon a bale of hay. She pulled Hiccup's letter and another purple wildflower from the pocket of her cloak. She smiled at the sight of the flower and then gently tucked the flower in her hair over her ear. She turned her attention back to the letter, carefully she unfolded the paper and silently began to read.
...
Dear Merida,
I'm sorry to hear about what happened with your mom. I can't tell you how terrible I feel that you argued with your mother over Berk. I can't help but to feel like it's my fault. I mean, I certainly don't want to be the cause of any kind of a rift between the two of you. I'm sure that everything she said was only out of concern for you and your safety and I really can't blame her for that. She's your mother after all. She loves you and despite your difference of opinion, you and your mother are still family, just try not to forget that.
Of course, I'd be lying if I told you that your last letter didn't concern me. I mean, I figured my being a Viking would be an issue for us eventually. It was just a matter of time. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. I meant what I said before; you are worth fighting for. Our friendship is worth fighting for and I will do everything in my power to protect it.
I know that it will be hard but just try to be patient and try not to worry, and above all else please don't lose heart. I know that right now it might feel like this obstacle is insurmountable, but we will find a way around it, or over it, or maybe even straight through it if need be! This is only the first of probably many challenges our friendship is going to face and I'm sure it won't be the last. Please don't worry, we will get through this together. Just trust me okay. Besides, this isn't exactly the first time I've been misjudged because I'm a Viking; I'm sure I told you that the first day we met. As I said before, there are many Vikings that live up to the terrible reputation. It's unfortunate but it's true and because of that, people like mine are too often unfairly misjudged. Although your mom's opinion of Vikings is unfortunate, it isn't far off and I honestly can't hold how she feels about Vikings against her. It may take some time and a lot of effort to change their minds about Berk, but I will prove myself one way or another. And I will earn your parents' trust. I mean, I'll have you know that I have successfully negotiated with far less tolerant leaders in the past. I'm sure I will be able to appeal to you parents.
I know it will be a difficult task, but we will find what we have been looking for and we will convince your parents to give Berk another chance. And don't worry, even if it turns out that we can't find any proof of my ancestors' innocence at all; I promise you, I will prove mine. I don't know what Berk was like three hundred years ago but I know Berk now. We are good, honest, and hardworking people. Your parents will see that Berk is innocent and they will see the kind of people we are now.
You know, before I even knew anything about Dunbroch, I had a feeling that this was a special place and I had already planned to propose an alliance with your people from the moment I stumbled upon your land. I still do intend to do that and now that I have you as a friend, I have even more incentive to do so. I want our people to see that despite everything we have been through in the past, we don't have to be enemies now. I mean you and I alone are proof of that. If anything, our friendship should serve as an example to both our people that an alliance is possible.
What I need you to do is just take a deep breath, and try not to overwhelm yourself with worry. You have one more day of being grounded and tomorrow when we are together again, we can put our heads together and figure this all out. Just please try not to worry, it's all going to be okay, we've got this. I am ready and willing to take a leap of faith, all I ask is that you be willing to do the same.
Love, your friend, Hiccup
...
Merida sighed as she folded the letter once again and stuffed it into the pocket of her cloak. She smiled slightly to herself. Despite her worry over the situation with her mother, Hiccup's words filled her heart with hope. She was more determined than ever to find the answers that would aid in bringing their people together once again. But what was even more motivating was the knowledge that even if they could not find the answers they sought, that Hiccup was still willing to fight for her and their friendship. It seemed he was determined to prove himself no matter what and he seemed set on doing everything he could to show Dunbroch that his people could be trusted. This alone made her that much more determined to find the truth.
She decided that she would attempt to look through the archives once more to see what, if anything, she could find. She headed back to the castle, cutting through the kitchen as per her usual routine. But upon her arrival, she instantly stopped in her tracks when she found her mother with her back facing her, talking with one of the kitchen staff. As Merida cautiously entered, she noticed Hubert on the stairs over her mother's shoulder. His eyes gazed at her in urgency. She furrowed her brow in confusion. Hubert then pointed to his ear and then pointed to her. It took her a moment to realize he meant the wildflower over her ear. Her eyes went wide with realization and she quickly pulled the flower from her hair and hid it behind her back just as her mother turned to face her.
"Merida," Elinor seemed surprised to see her, "have ye been up already?"
"Aye, Mum," she replied, "I, uh, I was just tending to Angus." Elinor gazed at her daughter curiously. She noticed her slightly nervous expression.
"Is everything alright Merida," Elinor asked.
"I'm fine mum," Merida replied quickly as she hurried past her mother.
"Ye know about the other day," Elinor started.
"Don't worry about it Mum," Merida interrupted as she inched her way toward the stairs.
"But Merida…." Elinor started.
"Mum I...I gotta go," Merida replied, "I mean, I...I'm just filthy from the stable, I really need to get cleaned up." She quickly ran up the stairs, without waiting for a response from Elinor.
"Okay," Elinor sighed dejectedly.
Just as Merida turned the corner at the top of the stairs, she found her three brothers waiting for her. They each had their arms crossed over their chests and gazed up at their sister expectantly.
"Aye, ye saved my hide," Merida replied, "mum would have known that was a wildflower."
"We saw ye sneak out with Angus this morn," Hubert replied, "where did ye go?" Merida was speechless for a moment.
"Uh...n-nowhere," Merida replied, "I…I just took Angus out for bit...he's been awfully restless since I've been grounded and I just wanted to give him a break from the stable for a bit." Hubert raised his eyebrow at her. Merida groaned as she walked past him. Her brothers were the epitome of rule breakers, they had practically written the book on fabricated cover stories. The three of them could spot a fib from a mile away. She had been caught and she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that now that her brothers knew she had snuck out, there was no stopping the barrage of questions she was undoubtedly about to face. And there was simply no telling what they would do if she told them the truth.
"I...I can't tell ye," Merida replied.
"What, why not." Hubert whined.
"Because..." Merida replied, "I…I just, I can't, not yet anyway. I have to figure it out first. Please just leave it alone Hubert." She started to walk past her other two brothers and started heading down the hallway.
"It's a boy isn't it," Hubert accused her. Merida felt her heart freeze as she stopped in her tracks. She turned slowly to face him with wide eyes and a blush on her face. Hubert smirked at the sight of the tell-tale expression on her face. He knew he had hit the nail on the head and he wasn't about to let her slide.
"Clam up, ye wee devil," she cried out, "ye don't know what yer sayin'."
"Aye," Hubert smirked, "is that why ye keep runnin' off, so ye could go meet a boy in the woods?"
"Hubert," she groaned, "keep yer glaikit mouth shut!"
"That's the reason ye missed yer curfew to begin with, isn't it," Hubert smirked, "what do ye think mum would say if she knew ye were with a boy after curfew, and without a chaperone?" Hubert teased
"Hubert," Merida grumbled, "I swear, I will murder ye if ye dinnae clam up this instant!" Hubert laughed as he backed away from her. Merida lunged after him.
"Yer really gonna lose yer head when mum finds out," Hubert chuckled as he continued to back away.
"Hubert Humphry Dunbroch," Merida growled, "if ye so much as breath a single word to mum then I...I...I'll tell her everything I ever kept from her about ye and all yer hair-brained pranks on Maudie!"
"Ye wouldn't," Hubert cried indignantly.
"Aye I would," Merida replied, "and don't ye dare put it past me!"
"Alright, alright," Hubert groaned, "we weren't really gonna say anything…I...I was just teasing ye." Merida groaned and rolled her eyes. She sighed heavily as she gazed at Hubert skeptically.
"Come on Merida, I swear we won't say a word," Hamish chimed in, "we just saw ye come in the front gate and we just wanted to know what ye were up to I swear we won't tell." Merida nodded as she contemplated his answer. She stayed silent for a long moment as she debated on the best course of action. It wasn't that she didn't trust her brothers, but they had been known to blurt out things by mistake. She decided she would partially explain herself without going into too much detail. After all her brothers could not blurt out what they didn't know. She turned her eyes back to Hubert and sighed once more.
"Alright," she sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "but only if ye swear that ye won't breathe a single word of it to anyone...especially mum!"
"Fine," Hubert replied.
"Swear it," Merida said firmly as she looked to each of them.
"Aye, we cross our hearts," Hubert replied as he drew the shape of a cross over his heart. Hamish and Harris did the same.
"Okay, come on," Merida sighed.
"Where are we going," Hubert questioned.
"Yer room," Merida replied, "I'm not talking about this out here where anyone can overhear." Hubert's eyes lit up with excitement.
"This must be a good secret," Hubert chuckled. Merida glared at him.
"Aye, I swear Hubert," Merida replied, "the three of ye better not make me regret this!"
A little while later:
Hiccup headed back to camp from the meeting place with Merida's letter in hand. Today he didn't linger at the hollowed tree long as he was still a little worried about Eret. At the time that Hiccup had left camp, Eret still had not returned. He hoped that when he did get back that Eret might also be back and ready to talk. He sighed heavily as he pushed the thoughts of Eret aside and focused on Merida's letter. He cracked the wax seal, gently unfolded the letter and began to read as Toothless continued walking.
…
Dear Hiccup,
I'm sorry if my last letter worried ye at all. I was just a wee bit upset over my mum. Of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about it still, but I am trying my best to keep a level head about it. I know my mum's only concern was for me and my well-being. Maybe we have differing opinions but that doesn't mean I'm naïve or foolish. I mean, I'm practically ready to take the throne for crying out loud. I just wish that she would trust that I am capable of makin' up my own mind on things. Sometimes I think she still sees me as that wee lass that she needs to protect from the world.
Anyway, I haven't really spoken to her since that day, not because I'm angry with her, but because I just don't know what to say. The last thing I want to do is upset her again. It was hard enough to try to keep my emotions from getting' the better o' me in the heat of our argument. Sometimes in the heat o' the moment I may say things I don't mean or worse say something that shouldn't be said. When she accused yer grandfather and yer people of such horrible things, all I wanted to do was tell her all about ye and how different ye were from any Viking she has ever known. But I was forced to bite my tongue for fear of what she'd do if she knew about ye. Not only that but my mum has this way about her, she just knows when something is weighing on my mind. I swear she can see it plain as day on my face. My worry is that she'll find out about ye and come to the wrong conclusion. If that were to happen, we would both be in a world of trouble.
So, I was thinking, maybe ye were right before. Maybe we should think about introducing ye to them. I think that coming forward is probably far better than being discovered. And don't worry, for the most part my parents are tolerant and fair people. I think there is a good chance that if we could just get them to listen, they'd give ye a fair shot. If we can just convince them to give ye a real chance, I just know without a doubt that they will see ye as I do. As far as my people go; winning over my parents would be half the battle really. I do think that this is something we will have to talk more about when I see ye tomorrow.
Speaking o' which, I do have a lot to tell ye tomorrow. I may have made a significant discovery about our mystery with the help of my brothers. It seems the wee devils are good for something after all. I will tell ye all about it tomorrow. I want ye to meet me at our meeting place first thing in the morning, I will leave the castle after breakfast. I can't wait to see ye and Toothless. Until then I'll be thinkin' o' ye both.
Love, yer friend
Merida
…
He smiled subtly as he folded the letter. He then pulled out his notebook and stuffed the letter inside the back cover. She hadn't much to say today but he was satisfied with what she did say. She was contemplating introducing him to her parents which was all that he wanted at this point. Sitting around worrying about getting caught while banished wouldn't help their situation at all. At least in meeting them he'd know exactly where he stood and if need be, he'd be able to plead his case. He only hoped when they talked about it that Merida would remain open to the idea. As nerve wracking as the thought of meeting her parents was, he felt confident that this was definitely a step in the right direction. Now he had one tiny detail left to figure out; how to tell Merida how he felt.
Hiccup sighed heavily as he thought about it. He honestly wasn't sure which was scarier, being faced with her Viking-hating parents or telling her he was falling for her. Though he had already almost told her days ago, he found himself even more nervous about it now than he was before. Ever since the night on her balcony he was determined to tell her the next time he saw her. But now that that day was practically here, he could feel his nervousness about it growing even more. He shook his head as he tried to mentally encourage himself. He just had to take a leap of faith, just jump in with two feet, figuratively of course. He sighed heavily once again as he thought of it.
Toothless could feel his rider's anxiousness and he groaned and rolled his eyes, if there was one thing his rider was good at, it was getting himself worked up about something or another. Today he seemed especially tense. The next thing he would do was talk to himself about whatever the issue was to try and find a solution, or in this case, talk himself up to doing something he was nervous about doing.
"Okay," Hiccup muttered, "I'm just gonna tell her, right. Easy, right."
"Yeah, the moment I see her tomorrow, I'll just be like: Merida I have feelings for you...and... No, no that's much too direct, I need to be more subtle. Maybe like: Hey, how ya doing, do you wanna go somewhere, and talk about our feelings?" Toothless snorted loudly to show his opposition to that idea.
"Yeah, well, what would you do," Hiccup groaned. Toothless groaned in response.
"Great," Hiccup huffed, "I must have completely lost it, I'm asking a dragon for love advice." Toothless huffed in offense to Hiccup's comment.
"Alright, alright," Hiccup sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I just...I'm a little flustered bud. I mean Merida is just...she's just...she's perfect and I'm, well...me." Toothless grunted up at Hiccup.
"Your right," Hiccup replied, "I just need to stop thinking and just do it, right, I mean what's the worst that could happen right?" Hiccup shook his head as a million things that could go wrong flashed through his mind.
"Except everything," he groaned. Hiccup flopped back onto Toothless in frustration. He pressed his palms to his face in annoyance .
"This is so frustrating," he groaned, "why is everything always so complicated!" Toothless huffed and shook his head as he continued on. Hiccup closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm his overactive mind.
"I just want the moment to be perfect," Hiccup sighed, "I want to take her somewhere special to tell her...somewhere where we can just be together. Just the two of us without any distractions, and without worrying about anything else that's going on."
Suddenly Hiccup became distracted by the faint and familiar sound of murmuring coming from the left of him. He furrowed his brow as he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see a familiar blue light hovering above him. But before he could react it flitted away quickly. He sat up quickly and pulled on the reigns to bring Toothless to a halt as he looked around curiously for the small and illusive blue light. Toothless whined slightly in worry. Hiccup leaned forward and gently pat the dragon on the side of his jaw.
"It's alright Toothless," Hiccup whispered, "just be still a minute okay." The dragon did as he was told. Hiccup heard the sound again and he quickly looked in the direction from which it seemed to come. He caught a glimpse of a familiar blue light out of the corner of his eye but it seemed to vanish before he could be sure of what he had seen. He was certain it could only be the mysterious blue spirits appearing to lead him once again.
"Wil o' the wisp," he muttered under his breath. He pulled on the reigns, gently urging Toothless in the direction of the light.
"Come on Toothless," Hiccup whispered, "if it's a Wil o' the Wisp we have to follow it." They headed to the line of trees at the edge of what appeared to be a steep ridge. The closer they got Hiccup could hear the rush of water just beyond the trees. He brought Toothless to a halt again and dismounted the dragon. Toothless whined slightly but Hiccup quickly turned to him holding his finger to his mouth to bid the dragon to keep silent. He turned back to the line of trees and crept carefully forward. Just as he reached the edge of the ridge, he peered down through the trees to see if the wisps were still somewhere nearby. He could just see the edge of a pool of water surrounded by a rocky shore and the sound of the rushing water grew louder the closer he got. He carefully passed through the line of trees and followed the ridge down to the shore of the pond. As he reached the water's edge, the land opened up to the most beautiful glen he had ever seen. There seemed to be a break in the canopy of trees right over the pond showering the area with bright sunlight. The water itself was pristine and was the most vivid turquoise color he had ever seen. At the other end of the pool was a breathtaking waterfall that cascaded over the large basalt and limestone rocks of the ridge and emptied into the sparkling pool below. He could see that the pool flowed into a creek that winded through the land. The place was filled with beautiful trees, flowering wild shrubs and a rainbow of vividly colored wild flowers scattered throughout the glen. It was one of the most beautiful places he had seen in Dunbroch thus far. He couldn't help but wonder if the wisp he was sure that he had seen had led him to this place for a reason.
He sighed in contentment as he sat down on one of the rocks upon the shore. His mind drifted to Merida once again. He could feel his heart flutter as he envisioned her beautiful face, her long wild curls and sparkling sky blue eyes. Though he was nervous to tell her his feelings, he was anxious to see her again. He sighed as he took in the beautiful sight before him. This place was beautiful and peaceful, and he thought to himself that this might just be the perfect place to bring Merida to tell her how he felt about her. He smiled slightly to himself when the thought suddenly occurred to him; just moments ago he had been a little overwhelmed thinking of how he was going to confess his feelings to Merida. Out loud he had voiced his hope of how and where he wanted that moment to be. It seemed the wisps had answered him once again, and led him to this beautiful secluded glen. It wasn't the first time they seemed to answer him when it came to Merida and he couldn't help but to wonder why it seemed that the wisps were specifically helping him.
Dunbroch Castle
"So, yer sayin' that ye made friends with a boy who is not from Dunbroch," Hubert questioned. Merida nodded.
"Aye," Merida replied, "and ye can't tell a soul about it."
"But why," Hubert questioned, "what's the big deal?" Merida sighed.
"It's because of where he's from," Merida replied, "he's not technically supposed to be in DunBroch." The three boys gazed at her skeptically.
"W-what do ye mean, he's not supposed to be here" Hamish asked, "where is he from?"
"I can't tell ye that," Merida replied.
"What...why," Hubert asked.
"Because," Merida sighed, "If anyone finds out that he is here and where he comes from, he could get in big trouble and I don't want that to happen."
"What do ye mean Merida," Hubert questioned, "is he some kind of a criminal?"
"No," Merida replied in slight offense, "his people were...well...they were accused of something a very long time ago, but he is not a criminal."
"What are ye sayin' Merida," Hubert questioned, "is his people some kind of an enemy of Dunbroch?"
"I'm sorry boys," Merida replied, "I just...I can't tell ye anything more."
"But ye didn't tell us anything at all," Hubert complained. Merida sighed.
"I know, and I'm sorry okay," Merida replied, "Please just trust me okay, the least ye know the better...for now anyway"
"It sounds to me like this guy might be dangerous," Hamish replied, "are ye sure ye can trust him? I mean, ye've only known him for a week, how do ye know he's being honest with ye? What if he is dangerous?"
"I just know okay," Merida replied. Her brothers gazed at her skeptically.
"Trust me he isn't dangerous," Merida replied, "if he was, I'm fairly certain he would have tried something by now."
"I don't know Merida," Hamish replied, "this doesn't seem like a secret we should be keepin' from mum and dad."
"Okay look," Merida replied, "I promise, ye won't have to keep the secret much longer. He and I have already been talking about my bringing him here to meet mum and dad. He wants to form an alliance with Dunbroch. There are just some details about his people's past that we need to figure out first." The three boys looked at each other each with a look of concern on their face.
"Please boys," Merida pleaded, "I just need ye to keep quiet for a few more days, please...just give me a few more days to figure this all out okay...that's all I ask." The three boys could see that Merida genuinely seemed to care for this man whom she spoke of. She trusted him enough to help him and they trusted their sister's judgment enough to want to help her however they could.
"Alright," Hubert replied, "We'll keep quiet and we'll help ye any way we can." Merida smiled at the three of them.
"Thanks boys," she replied, "I knew I could count on ye." With that she threw her arms around the three of them. She then stood quickly and headed for the door.
"Where are you going now," Hubert asked. Merida glanced back at him and smiled.
"To get cleaned up for breakfast" Merida replied, "I'll see ye three downstairs."
A little later:
When Hiccup finally arrived back at camp he found Fishlegs with the dragons, busy fussing over Meatlug as was the norm, but Eret was still nowhere in sight. By this time, it had been a few hours since Eret had stormed off into the woods and Hiccup was beginning to worry. He glanced over at the path that Eret had taken earlier for a long moment. Though the two of them had a rather difficult past and had spent the past two years at odds with one another, Hiccup still cared about Eret almost as a brother. He certainly didn't want Eret to fall into any sort of trouble because of him. Not to mention the fact that Astrid would probably literally kill him if anything happened to Eret. Hiccup sighed heavily once again as he dismounted Toothless and headed over to Fishlegs.
"Hey Fish," he interrupted, "did Eret ever come back?" Fish looked up from Meatlug and over at Hiccup and shook his head.
"No, he hasn't," Fish replied. Hiccup sighed in slight frustration.
"Alright, well I'm going to go look for him then," Hiccup replied. Fish looked up at Hiccup curiously.
"You want me to come too," he questioned.
"No, you stay here, and keep the dragons out of trouble," Hiccup replied, "I'm sure he didn't go far, I'll be back in a bit." Fish nodded.
"Will do chief," Fish replied. Toothless turned and started to follow after Hiccup but Hiccup turned to stop him.
"You stay here too Bud," Hiccup said, "I don't think Eret is up for much company right now. I'm probably pushing my luck going after him as it is." Toothless whined in protest.
"I know, I know bud, you're bored," Hiccup sighed, "I get it." He patted the dragon apologetically on the side of the neck.
"Listen, I just need to talk to Eret and find out what is going on with him," Hiccup sighed again, "I promise it won't take long." Toothless nudged Hiccup with his snout.
"Alright, listen," Hiccup grinned, "maybe later, after dark, we can sneak in a flight." Toothless grinned at Hiccup excitedly and began to pad around him causing Hiccup to chuckle.
"But just a short one okay," Hiccup replied, "and preferably on the uninhabited side of the island. The last thing I want to do is get Merida into any more trouble." Toothless nodded happily.
"Alright, I'll be back," Hiccup said as he turned and headed down the path that Eret had taken.
Eret
Eret stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast fjord that led out to the open ocean. The fjord was framed with high majestic mountains on either side. On the farthest edge of the fjord, he could just see the ruins of a castle. He stood silently with arms crossed, gazing out over the distant horizon. One thing was for certain, Dunbroch was a beautiful and peaceful place. And a thought suddenly occurred to him; for some reason, being here didn't feel like visiting some foreign land, in fact it had felt strangely familiar, almost like he'd arrived home after many years away.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he took in the beautiful sight. He closed his eyes for just a moment and thought back to his dream. He remembered that day as if it were just yesterday. The memory that had replayed in his dream was of his mother's last good day before she fell gravely ill. His mind drifted to the pendant that she had given him which had supposedly belonged to his father. He had kept it all these years, not because it belonged to his father, but because it was the last thing his mother had ever given him. Before, that day she had only told him very little about his father, and he had never put much stock into what little she had told him. As far as his father went, Eret could have cared less to ever know anything about the man. His mother had told him some tales about him here and there when he was young, but that's all they ever were to Eret. They were merely tall tales about a man that he never knew. But now he wasn't sure exactly what to believe.
His mind drifted back to the pendent once more. He could picture the engraved emblem of his alleged family crest; four interlocking circles behind a downward facing sword. The symbol was ingrained into his brain, and it was the same symbol pressed into the wax on Merida's letter. Try as he might, Eret could simply not make sense of this. He didn't know what it meant and he didn't know what to do about it. All he knew was that there was a very good possibility that the few stories his mother told him were true after all. But if that were the case, what exactly did that mean for him?
"Eret," Hiccup's voice interrupted his train of thought. Eret turned and glanced at Hiccup briefly as he came up beside him. Without a word, Eret nodded subtly to Hiccup and then turned his eyes back to the horizon. Hiccup looked out over the fjord as well.
"That's some view," Hiccup said nonchalantly, "you certainly can't deny that this is a beautiful place." Eret nodded in agreement but remained silent. Hiccup glanced at Eret from the corner of his eye briefly.
"Look Eret," Hiccup said, "I'm sorry about earlier...I didn't mean to push you about your dream or whatever else is bothering you. I just thought maybe you'd want to get it off your chest. I mean, sometimes just talking about it helps, ya know." Eret nodded as he turned his eyes to the ground in front of him.
"It's fine Hic, really," Eret sighed, "honestly, I shouldn't have snapped at you back there. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment and I'm not quite sure exactly what I'm dealing with right now." Hiccup looked up at Eret curiously, as he silently tried to decipher Eret's meaning.
"I figured as much," Hiccup replied, "you've been acting off since yesterday. Is it still everything with Astrid that's bothering you?"
"Well, that is always in the back of my mind," Eret admitted, "but no, this is something else entirely."
"Okay," Hiccup replied, "well, I'm trying my best not to ask...but I'm still curious all the same. I don't suppose you want to talk about it." Eret sighed as he debated confiding in Hiccup.
"Okay look, I told you yesterday that I didn't know anything about my father," Eret sighed, "but that's not exactly completely true." Hiccup continued to gaze at him curiously.
"What do you mean exactly," Hiccup questioned.
"See, my mother told me stories about him sometimes," Eret replied, "there wasn't many and it wasn't often that she spoke of him, but even as a kid I didn't think much of the stories to begin with. I mean, I didn't really believe them. When my father left us it truly broke my mom's heart. She never said so, but it was true all the same. It just seemed like telling me the stories about him made her feel better; it made her feel like he was still with us, if that makes any sense. But to tell you the truth I never truly put much stock into any of them." Hiccup nodded as he listened.
"The pendent I told you about," Eret continued, "it was the last thing my mother ever gave me before she died. It's the only reason why it's important to me now and why I've worn it till this day." Eret turned his eyes back to the horizon with a far off look in his eye.
"Anyway, that's what my dream was about," Eret sighed, "it was like the memory of the day she gave me the pendent played over in my head. Before that day all I ever knew about the pendant was that my father had given it to her before he left the last time. She never spoke of it other than that, not until that day she gave it to me." He turned to face Hiccup once again. Hiccup gazed back at him curiously and Eret could see that he was in deep thought about what he had told him.
"That day she told me everything about my father," Eret sighed distantly, "I'll never forget what she said mate." Hiccup gazed back at Eret in intrigue.
"She said that the symbol on the pendant was my family crest," Eret continued, "she told me that I came from a long line and that I have prestigious roots."
"Prestigious roots," Hiccup questioned," what exactly did she mean?" Eret shrugged.
"She claimed I had family somewhere, that the pendant was some family heirloom," Eret replied dismissively, "that it had been passed down to me starting with my great grandfather."
"A family heirloom," Hiccup questioned. His mind inadvertently flashed to his own pendant that had been passed down nearly five generations, and Merida's that had been set aside for her by her namesake. He wondered if Eret's pendant could have any connection or if the similarities between their stories and his was just some crazy coincidence.
"Well what else did she tell you about your father," Hiccup asked. Eret looked back at Hiccup.
"It's a long story mate," Eret replied.
"I don't exactly have anywhere to be," Hiccup replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "and nothing better to do either."
"Alright well," Eret sighed, "According to my mother, when she met my father, he had been on a quest to find his homeland."
"His homeland," Hiccup questioned. Eret nodded.
"Apparently, he was born a nomad, his parents never stayed in one place long, that's just how they lived. But they told him about the land from which my great grandfather came. He was so enthralled with the stories that he was determined to find the place that they described. So, when he got older, he had taken up with Vikings to continue his search. During his travels he had stumbled upon another band of Vikings that had recently raided some far-off kingdom. These particular Vikings had not only stolen valuables and goods, but also taken a few young women from their homes as well. Now, my mother never said why they were taken, but I can only imagine it was nothing good." Hiccup shook his head in abhorrence as he thought of the unfortunate, kid-napped women.
"Turns out," Eret went on, "my mother was one of those women and according to her my father helped her escape." Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Really," Hiccup questioned. Eret nodded.
"He took her to a village that he trusted, and the clan took her in as one of their own and protected her. Eventually, one thing led to another and they fell in love, married in some secret ceremony and shortly after had me. But dear old dad was still obsessed with this homeland of his and he never gave up his search; which is why he was hardly around my whole life."
"That's crazy," Hiccup replied, "and she told you all of this when she gave you the pendant?" Eret nodded.
"She did," he sighed, "but as I said, I never believed any of it. I mean she liked to tell me grand tales of him now and again. And particularly at the end she didn't always make a lot of sense, so none of the stories meant anything to me. They didn't matter, ya know." Hiccup nodded as he listened.
"Well, what about your mother's family," Hiccup questioned, "Did she ever tell you about them?" Eret shook his head.
"My mom never spoke of her own family nor where she was from," Eret replied, "but after she told me what happened to her, I can only imagine that the memory of her home and former life just hurt too much to talk about." Eret sighed heavily and turned his eyes back to the horizon.
"It's crazy Hic," Eret sighed, "I mean, all of this is always in the back of my mind, ya know, but I haven't like actually thought about all of it in years. I've certainly never told anybody about it either."
"Okay so, what do you think is bringing all of this up now, "Hiccup questioned. Eret remained quiet for a long moment as he silently thought over Hiccup's question. His eyes once more fell upon the horizon as the image of his 'family crest' flashed though his mind. He glanced at Hiccup from the corner of his eye, unsure if he should say anymore. He sighed once more as he came to his decision.
"Well, I...I don't know exactly," Eret replied, "maybe it's because I told you the truth about my father, like I said I haven't thought about it for years and I certainly have never talked about it," Eret replied, "not with anyone besides Astrid anyway." Hiccup looked at Eret in intrigue as he thought of the story Eret had just told him.
"Uh, you mentioned that the symbol on the pendent is possibly your family crest," Hiccup questioned, "what exactly is it….I mean what does it look like?"
"Uh, it's just a sword," Eret replied nonchalantly, "well technically there are two sides to it, one side is a sword and on the other is uh…the face of a dragon."
"That's it," Hiccup asked curiously, "nothing like more specific, just a sword and a dragon?"
"Yeah," Eret replied as he purposely avoided Hiccup's curious gaze.
"Okay well what about the dragon," Hiccup asked, "was it a specific type of dragon? I mean based on the breed of dragon, maybe we could narrow down the location of this 'homeland'."
"Okay, just hold on a minute," Eret huffed, "I didn't say anything about wanting to find this 'homeland."
"Well, no," Hiccup replied, "I just thought..."
"Thought what mate," Eret huffed, "that I'd want to follow in my father's footsteps...leave my family in search of some bloody island I've never even set foot on?"
"No... that's not what I'm saying at all," Hiccup replied, "I...I just thought, you'd want to know where you came from. I mean, I would want to know."
"Yeah well, you're not me mate," Eret replied in frustration, "my father abandoned me to go traipsing off after some bloody pipe dream. He died trying to find that place without even a thought about me or my mother or what that would do to us. I will never do that to Astrid or my child!" Hiccup gazed at Eret with a serious expression on his face.
"What happened with your father is different," Hiccup replied.
"How," Eret questioned.
"Well, from what you said, your father was determined to find his homeland on his own," Hiccup replied, "you are not alone!" Eret shook his head in denial as he turned his gaze back to the horizon.
"You have me and Fish and the other riders," Hiccup replied, "You have Astrid. I mean, do you seriously think Astrid would let you go looking for this place on your own? Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him causing Eret to chuckle slightly.
"I guess you have a point," Eret replied. Hiccup smiled reassuringly in Eret's direction.
"Look, all I'm saying is that maybe this is worth looking into," Hiccup went on, "I mean, whatever you decide to do, obviously is up to you. Astrid and I and the other riders, will always back you up either way. We are your family now and we won't abandon you and we certainly won't let you lose focus on what's important regardless of whatever you decide to do." Eret sighed heavily as he silently went over everything Hiccup had said.
"Just think about it okay," Hiccup replied, "and if you change your mind, I'm here to help." Eret turned to Hiccup and smiled slightly.
"I'll think about it," Eret replied, "but let's just focus on one mystery at time, mate. We still have to get to the bottom of Berk's banishment, so you can be with your princess." Hiccup smirked at Eret and rolled his eyes.
"Right," Hiccup replied with a grin as he turned back to the trail and started heading back to camp.
"Speaking of which," Eret grinned mischievously as he followed after him, "When are we going to finally meet this girl. Isn't today her last day of being stuck in that castle." Hiccup sighed.
"It is," Hiccup shrugged, "but I don't know about introducing her to you guys, just yet." Eret furrowed his brow at Hiccup's comment.
"What," Eret chuckled, "Oh come on Hic, what are you, embarrassed by your Viking friends."
"Don't be ridiculous," Hiccup replied.
"Then what's the problem," Eret questioned.
"There's no problem," Hiccup replied, "I mean, I haven't seen her in three days, I just...I just want to spend a little bit of time with her... alone preferably." Eret's smile grew.
"Ah, I get it," Eret replied smugly, "you're hoping to tell her how you feel finally." Hiccup rolled his eyes, but he could not hide the blush on his face.
"See, this is why I don't tell you things," Hiccup replied.
"No, you don't tell me things because we haven't been friends in two years," Eret replied.
"Point taken," Hiccup sighed, "alright look, she wants me to wait for her at the meeting place, then I was going to take her somewhere private so we could talk. I don't know for sure if I will tell her tomorrow or not. That all depends."
"Depends on what," Eret questioned.
"Well, I just...I want the timing to be perfect, ya know," Hiccup replied, "I...I don't want to like scare her off or anything. So, if I'm not feeling the moment, I might not even bring it up, ya know. I just want to play it by ear, I guess." Eret furrowed his brow as he gazed back at Hiccup.
"Scare her off," Eret questioned.
"Yeah well, not that it's any of your business," Hiccup replied, "but like me, she also has some of her own issues with love. I certainly don't want to push the issue if she isn't ready. Besides, there's always the chance that she doesn't feel the same way. I mean, what if I tell her and she only thinks of me as a friend. I mean, I don't want to jeopardize our friendship either."
"Hic," Eret sighed, "I think that you may be overthinking all of this just a bit." Hiccup sighed heavily.
"I know," Hiccup huffed, "look I...I just don't want to screw this up, okay. I care about Merida and I don't want lose her, even if we are only meant to be friends. I'm afraid that if I overstep that I'll push her away."
"Hic," Eret interrupted, "you can't think of it that way. You can't let your fears about what could happen stop you from taking a real chance. If you don't tell her how ye truly feel about her mate, then you'll never know how she really feels about you." Hiccup sighed once more as he thought over what Eret had said.
"I mean think of it from the other angle too," Eret went on, "what if she does feel the same about you, but you never tell her how you feel. She may start to believe that you don't care. She may even give up on you. Maybe she'd even move on with someone else. Could you live with that mate?" Hiccup could feel his heart lurch with Eret's words. The mere thought of Merida with someone else caused an ache in his chest that was almost too much to bear. It was the same feeling that stirred within his heart when Merida told him of her fear of falling in love and what was expected of her to gain the throne. The last thing he wanted was for Merida to settle for some Noble or Lord for the sake of her throne. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she deserved so much more than that. If by some miracle she was willing to take a chance on him, he would give her his heart completely, no questions asked.
"I guess I didn't really think about it that way," Hiccup muttered.
"Look Hic, if you truly care about her," Eret continued, "you can't hold back...you need to tell her about it, tell her everything that you feel." Hiccup nodded silently as he mulled over Eret's advice. Perhaps Eret was right. It was time that he took a real chance, a leap of faith. His heart was pounding at the thought of telling her but he knew that if he didn't take that chance than he would never know how she truly felt about him.
"Maybe you're right," Hiccup muttered.
"Of course, I'm right," Eret replied with a smirk, "listen, when you see her tomorrow you should just clear your head, don't think about any of your second thoughts. Just focus on Merida and what she means to you and I promise the right words will come. Let the chips fall where they may. I have a good feeling it may go better than expected.
"Do you think so," Hiccup questioned. Eret smiled at him reassuringly.
"Don't worry mate," Eret replied, "from everything you've told us about her, it seems to me she is just as fond of you as you are of her." Hiccup nodded as Eret spoke.
"I really hope you are right," Hiccup sighed.
"So where are you taking her," Eret questioned.
"Well on the way back from the meeting spot, me and Toothless stumbled upon this little glen," Hiccup replied, "It's really nice, sort of secluded, absolutely beautiful. I think I'll take her there."
"Sounds nice Hic," Eret replied with a distant tone. Hiccup noticed Eret's change in demeanor once again. He turned and gazed at him for a long moment.
"You sure you're okay," Hiccup asked. Eret looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"I'm fine," Eret replied dismissively, "don't worry about me mate...you have more important things to think about." He elbowed him suggestively. Hiccup smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Okay, okay," Hiccup replied, "you're as bad as Toothless, ya know that!"
"Well, listen to your dragon, Hic," Eret replied playfully, "I mean if Toothless approves of this girl than she's probably the one, mate...just saying."
Dunbroch castle
Merida once again found herself in the archives looking for anything she could find regarding Berk or the Vikings. She was having no luck and seriously beginning to doubt that she would ever find anything. She didn't understand how a whole entire portion of Dunbroch history could be missing from the archives. She began to wonder if the records had been tampered with. Perhaps someone had seen fit to erase Berk from Dunbroch history completely. Perhaps the lack of evidence was evidence in itself. Merida sighed as she pondered this.
Her mother was right about one thing, Mairead and Hiccup the first's love affair would have surely been a massive scandal. It was certainly possible that the King himself had the records destroyed in order to cover up the scandal entirely. If this were true than the only record of Berk in Dunbroch at all was that of her grandmother's journal and what little her father had told her. The thought was disheartening to say the least. She wondered if Mairead's father had done this to protect his daughter's name. It seemed excessive to delete an entire portion of history simply to cover up the evidence of Mairead's and Hiccup's brief romance. What would it matter in the long run? Mairead still married Callum in the end and Hiccup the first never returned to Dunbroch. Merida was beginning to wonder if there could be more to the story. But what more could the King have been trying to hide? She sighed heavily. It seemed that for every clue that they discovered in this mystery even more questions arose. She was beginning to wonder if they would ever get to the bottom of it.
