Chapter II
Berk
Merida woke but decided she didn't feel like getting up yet so she lied there with her eyes closed listening to the birds. She felt something nudge her face but ignored it. It tried again and she opened one eye and found herself looking at two large bright green eyes.
"Hey Astrid have you seen Toothless? I can't find him." Hiccup asked. Hey was carrying a crutch for Merida.
"No I haven't seen him." The blond answered.
Suddenly a scream rang through the village. "But I can guess where he is." She said with a smirk.
"I told him to leave her alone." Hiccup said and ran to Valka's house.
Merida had fallen out of bed and retreated to a corner while Toothless eyed her curiously. "Stay back!" she shouted.
The door suddenly opened and Hiccup walked in. "Toothless!" he called getting the dragon's attention. "I told you, you could meet her later!" he scolded the dragon.
Toothless actually looked sheepish before he walked up to Hiccup.
"Sorry about at that." Hiccup said turning to Merida who was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "What?"
"What do you mean what!? That's a dragon!"
"Yeah. His name's Toothless."
"He's a dragon!"
"…Where exactly are you from?" Hiccup asked.
"DunBroch, it's in Scotland."
"That explains it. You're in the Archipelago now. There are dragons everywhere. And on this island we learn to ride them."
"Ride... dragons?"
"Yep."
"Help me up."
"Huh?"
"Help me up! I want to see."
"Here, I brought you a crutch." He helped her up before handing it to her and she hobbled to the door.
He opened the door and she walked out next to him. "This is Berk. It's cold and hostile but its home. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. But the best upside is the pets. While most places have ponies or parrots we have,"
"Dragons." Merida breathed.
There were dragons everywhere. Eating, sleeping, bathing, and flying.
"And this is my dragon, Toothless." Hiccup said as he scratched Toothless head. "He's what we call a Night Fury. We used to call him the unholy offspring of lighting and death itself. He's actually a big softie." He looked at Merida and gave her a gummy smile. "He likes you."
"He's so cute!" she almost squealed.
"Hey look! She's awake!" someone shouted and everyone quickly crowded Merida talking all at once before Toothless roared shutting everyone up.
"Thank you bud." Hiccup said before turning to the village. "Everyone lay off! She just woke up so let her adjust. You'll get your chances to talk to her, later."
"Sorry about that chief." One of the Vikings said.
"Chief?" Merida asked herself then turned to Hiccup. "You're the Chief?"
"Yes."
"I always thought a Viking Chief would be big and made of muscle with a helmet with big horns."
"My dad was." Hiccup said looking past her.
Merida followed his line of sight to a large statue of a burly man with a curly beard and a helmet with huge horns.
"Stoik The Vast, my father. The greatest Chief Berk ever had… come on. I'll give you a tour of the village."
After the tour he led her to a small cliff only stopping to introduce her to Gobber and the Hotburple Grump.
The riders where waiting for them.
"Everyone this is Merida."
"Hey Merida." Said a girl with waist-length blonde hair that she wore down with a single long braid and long bangs swept to the left and bright sky blue eyes. She wore a kransen on her head and a blue shirt with a short red vest over it and a Deadly Nadder head pin holding them together. A fur skirt underneath her spiked one. A belt decorated with silver skulls. Metal shoulder guards lined with soft fur to make them more comfortable and fur bracers on her forearms. Lastly she wore black leggings with leather kneepads and fur boots. "I'm Astrid Hofferson. I'm Berk's General and Hiccup's military advisor. This is Stormfly, she's a Deadly Nadder." She said looking at the blue and yellow dragon preening next to her.
"She's beautiful." Merida said walking up to her and Stormfly focused one eye on her.
"Here," Astrid said taking Merida's hand. "Scratch her right here." Stormfly chirped in bliss as Merida and Astrid scratched her favorite spots.
"I'm Snotlout Jorgenson." He was kinda short but muscular with brown hair, brown eyes, and chin stubble. He wore a spiral horned helmet on his head and a leather green-blue tunic with a fur vest over it, spike-emblazoned brown bracers, and boots. "I'm also the best rider on the island. I ride the Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang." He was sitting on a large red and black dragon.
Merida could almost see the Viking's hubris radiating off him. She did think Hookfang was impressive though.
"Check this," He said as he hopped off. "Hookfang, flare up!" Hookfang roared and lit himself on fire.
Okay, Merida thought to herself, that is cool.
"I'm Fishlegs Ingerman," he was a very large man with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a braided mustache. He wore a brown furry outfit equipped with furry armbands, a belt with pockets and a helmet with little wings instead of horns. "Co-author of the 'New Book of Dragons'. And this is Meatlug. She's a Gronckle." He threw a few rocks towards his dragon and she ate them happily.
"I'm Ruffnut Thorston." she had braided blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Her helmet was studded and had four horns. She wore a dark blue tunic-like vest that covers her torso and stops at her waist opening in the middle with a red cloth belt around her waist along with another vest made of tan fur over a yellowish-brown dress that went down to her thighs. She also wore brown leggings paired with dark blue furry boots that have thin red cloth wrapping them. On her arms she wore a long dark-blue, violet, and light brown cloth brace that begins at her elbows and ends at her wrists. A bit of cloth goes around her middle finger.
"And this is my dragon Barf." She continued gesturing to one head of a Hideous Zippleback.
"I'm Tuffnut, the cool twin." Said a boy that looked just like Ruffnut and was similarly dressed. The main difference was he had his hair tied up under his chin to resemble a Viking beard.
"My head's name is Belch."
"Um what's up with your hair?" Merida asked.
"You must mean my full, thick beard." Tuffnut said stroking his hair.
"Just agree it's a beard." Hiccup whispered.
At that point a Rumblehorn and rider flew up and landed. "Ah, I heard our visitor had finally woken up." Said the rider. He was a tall broad-framed man with beefy arms marred with scars. He had dark brown hair and amber eyes. "I am Eret, son of Eret. Former dragon trapper now rider. This is Skullcrusher."
The large dragon focused one eye one her before he sniffed her. "Hey!"
"It's alright. He's just learning your scent. Now if you're ever in trouble, he can find you."
"Find me?"
"Skullcrusher is a species called the Rumblehorn." Hiccup began to explain. "One of few belonging to the Tracker class. He can follow a scent on land, water, even air. He can find anything from scent alone." Hiccup explained.
"Wow…How do you always have all of this info just off the top of your head?"
"I've been studying dragons for a little over 5 years now. I keep everything we've learned in a book and I've reread that book at least a hundred times."
Suddenly Merida's stomach growled. "So…anything to eat on this island?"
Hiccup laughed. "Lunch should be ready at the Great Hall soon."
He helped her up the steps to the Great Hall (remember she's getting around on a crutch). He even made up a plate for her and she sat with him and Valka. She inhaled the food having not ate since yesterday.
"Merida," Hiccup asked getting her attention. "What you said yesterday, about running away. What did you mean?"
"Where I'm from the marrying age is 16 and we get married quick. I'm 19, single, and have shown no interest in getting married…so my Mom decided to force me into marriage. I refuse to marry someone I don't know or love, so I ran."
"Well," Hiccup began.
They're gonna send me back, I know it!
"You can continue to stay at my place. I have the room." Valka said.
"But after you heal you'll be expected to pull your own weight." Hiccup continued. "We're a community. We work together."
"So, I'll be a member of your tribe?" Merida asked.
"Yes."
She smiled. "Then I only have one question. When do I get my own dragon?"
The Haddocks smiled. She'll fit in just fine.