Hiccup looks around at the village burning around him. There is no sign of Toothless and his mother lies lifeless beside him. His whole village is practically in ruins and his dragons scatter, most of them having been shot down by bandits.

"Don't look so sad Hiccup," Astrid shakes her head, two swords in hand, "You had to have known this day was coming.

"There was a better way—" Hiccup tries.

"To what? Mend the bond? How thin can you be? The answer to all of our problems shows up at our shore and your mother decides she's going to keep it for herself! Where did she put it, Hiccup?"

"I don't know! She was just supposed to hide it! She wasn't going to use it for herself—"

"Hide it? And you didn't think it was important to let your fiancé know of this?" Astrid glares.

"I couldn't trust you," Hiccup shakes his head, "I could see it in your eyes! Something's different. Ever since it showed up, everyone has changed. It was too dangerous. That thing did something to you!"

"I see perfectly," Astrid laughs, "I see so clearly, that I now see you as the same scrawny low-life I knew as a teenager. You may have a new buff exterior, but you're still the same wimp of a kid that your dad was ashamed of."

"I just lost my mother! I don't want to lose you too!"

"Lose me?" Astrid glares, "You never had me! I still remember the day your father cast my uncle out as a kid, only to find that it was your mother's idea! He lived in exile over that stupid dragon egg that your parents were too pig headed to keep! It suddenly appears again, and your mother sent a dragon to hide it for her own selfish gain. Not only that, but she let a bunch of filthy pirates destroy our entire fleet because they were looking for that dumb egg! Our village turned into a battle ground and in case you haven't noticed, we lost! I can't believe you trusted her! I can't believe you trusted her so-called allies! They were stealing from us this entire time! And you had no idea!"

"My mother was not a traitor! She would never! We have time to fix this—"

"Time's up Hiccup. My long-lost uncle finally made me realize that some people can't be trusted. I'm going to find the golden dragon and get my revenge if it's the last thing I do."

"Astrid!" Hiccup drops to the floor backing up as two dragons appear before him, "Astrid, please don't do this!"

"This is all your fault!" Astrid responds, "You and your arrogant mother did this, and now you are going to watch everything your family built rot and burn!"

"Astrid, I love you!" Hiccup says desperately.

"And your love is your biggest weakness," Astrid says, "It is because of your love that you watched everything we cared about be destroyed."

"That wasn't what happened—"

"And now, I get to watch you rot in hell with the rest of your family," .

"Astrid, no!"

"Goodbye, Hiccup,"

Merida bolts upright, her heart pounding. She shakes her head trying to get the image of the guy in her dreams out of her head. The man couldn't have been much older than her—23 or 25. Merida looks to her right and draws another tally in the sand. It had been officially two weeks since the invasion of the Vikings, and she had found a hidden cave not far from the witch's cottage. She had attempted to mimick the look of the witch's cottage. Using her bare hands, Merida had dragged the witch's pot from the cottage to her new hideout. The time she spent in the mock kitchen had paid off. Her favorite pot dish to make was what she called berry stew. It was sweet and fun to drink—although it was about the only sweets she could make at the moment.

Merida pulls back the rock to the caves entrance and grabs her bow and bag of arrows. Using branches, rocks, and her sword she had crafted some more arrows, however, they were not nearly as well made as the ones back at the castle. Merida glances at her sword, contemplating if she should take it with her. So far, she hasn't encountered a single of Ardus's goonies. She had a few close calls when she was still at the forefront of the forest, but for the most part she has been able to dodge them. Merida has been planning a mass raid of the castle to try to acquire some supplies. Fresh clothes is at the top of her list. The dress she has been parading in is tattered and dirty. No matter how many times she washes it, the dress still looks like it has been through hell and back.

Merida take a deep breathe as she walks towards the stream. The birds chirp over head and flitter in all directions. Merida watches them, looking for any unusual patterns. She realizes there is still a rogue dragon somewhere in the forest, but she has yet to detect it. Merida peers at the stream filled with large fish. She sighs, not wanting to eat another fish. She has been too afraid to dig deeper into the woods. Merida never knows where Ardus's guards might be lurking.

She turns to face the woods, then back at the stream. Her stomach growls and Merida shakes her head.

"Just great," Merida mutters walking back to get her sword, "I wish there was a spell to make fish not taste like fish."

Merida takes a deep breathe and swings an arrow into firing position. She wanders deeper into the thick of the forest, listening for more than just her footsteps. She figures it shouldn't be long before she comes across a small herd. However, the forest is eerily quiet.

"Where are ya, ye little boogers?" Merida says wandering around ready to aim. Suddenly she hears a the snap of a branch and she whips around. She narrows her eyes and sharpens her senses, her stomach growling it's approval. Merida makes her way towards the snap, hearing more rustling of trees.

"What is going on?" Merida says as she inches closer. She sees three trees sway, but there is no breeze. Merida looks around, expecting to see someone pop out from the trees, only to see a set of large teeth uproot one of the trees and tossing it aside. Instinctively, Merida screams, recognizing the dragon from the day of the invasion. Merida stumbles backwards, taking off through the forest. She hears the dragon hiss three times, narrowing its eyes and baring its teeth.

"No, no , no, no, no!" Merida says realizing that the dragon more than likely has the ability to warn his friends that she is out here. She hears the rustling of trees behind her and she knows she can't run back to her hideout. If by any chance she makes it out of this alive, she would like to be able to come back to an untouched hide out.

Merida banks right, weaving in and out of the trees. Merida runs faster, wishing she had Angus to help her. She looks above, watching the dragon skirt overhead. Merida stops for a second, trying to take in her surroundings. She has never been this deep into the forest before. She doesn't recognize a single tree, a single sound. Even if she is able to escape, there is no way she is going to be able to find her way back to the castle, let alone her own hide out.

"Mum, Dad," Merida says, her heart pounding more from the panic attack she has been trying to avoid versus the fear of the dragon above her. She didn't want to lose her family, but she won't see them regardless if she dies this very moment. Merida screams again as the dragon scratches at the tree tops to get to her. Merida takes one look back at where she came from and continues to run in the opposite direction. She can hear the dragon hopping along the tree tops towards her.

Merida is losing her breathe, but just as soon as she does she trips and lands on something soft.

"What the?" Merida says, her hands covered in sand. She looks forward in shock at the expansive ocean in front of her, "There's a beach back here? I thought the straight was the only way into DunBroch! Gosh Dad! This is what happens when no one has any sense of adventure. You miss things!"

Behind her the dragon let's out a terrible screech landing behind her, causing her to scream.

"Wait wait wait! Don't eat me!" Merida shouts, scooching backwards.

It cocks it's head to the side, it's green eyes narrowing like a cat. The tail has three steal spikes that swing as it inches closer. Merida stumbles to her feet running towards the water, but the dragon sends a steel spike that pins her dress into the sand. The dragon, which is ten times bigger than Mor'du, opens it's long mouth full of teeth. An eerie heat radiates from it's mouth, a faint silver glow coming from the back of it's throat. Merida struggles to move, and she closes her eyes preparing for her death.

But just as she closes her eyes she hears a grunt and someone lands on top of her, shielding her from the dragon's blow. She hears the dragon squeal, the sound of its blade like wings fanning out. The blast hits something hard that deflects onto either side of Merida. She can feel the heat, but no death comes.

"Hey! ChiChi! Calm down, ChiChi! Down!" A male voice calls. Merida feels the weight lift from her as whoever had just protected her stood to his feet. Merida's eyes widen at the sound of the voice.

"Astrid, I love you!"

Merida turns to see a guy blocking her view. From the back he looked strong, wth dark brown hair. His leather armor is singed and wet, but in his hand he has a shield. With no weapon, he stands before the massive beast. With bared teeth, the dragon dances around, seemingly ready to attack. Merida is prepared to run, but to her surprise the dragon doesn't attack, yet stares daggers at the man.

"Calm ChiChi. This isn't you. They are using the jewel to control your thoughts. Come back to me ChiChi." The guy says, dropping the shield. Merida glances down, gasping at the symbol drawn across the shield.

"Viking," Merida whispers to herself. She quickly pulls the steel quill from her dress and whips out her sword. The dragon seems confused, starting to jump around, shaking it's head and body as if it has poison ivy.

"ChiChi, it's me. It's Hiccup," Hiccup says. Merida's eyes widen remembering the name from her dream. She drops her sword, covering her mouth.

"It's him," Merida says. Hiccup's stance is weak and frail, but still he stands to protect her from the dragon. He is frantically waving his arms trying to get and maintain the dragon's attention. ChiChi calms long enough for Hiccup to Inch closer to Merida watches as Hiccup quickly puts a hand on ChiChi's snout, pulling the dragon towards the ground.

"Focus ChiChi, focus!" Hiccup says, although the restless dragon is still shaking his head, "Listen to the sound of my voice. Ready? Occupy. Ocean. Sunshine. Light. Fire—"

ChiChi cuts him off at the sound of fire. He knocks Hiccup down to the ground and screeches at him, beginning his hop again.

"Okay, no fire!" Hiccup says, gasping for the wind that was knocked out of him, "ChiChi! Occupy. Ocean. Sunshine. Light. Agree. Free…"

Merida watches as Hiccup continues to say words as if they are somehow part of a song. ChiChi's wild movements begin to slow and eventually ChiChi lies down. Her jaw drops as the spikes retreat and ChiChi's eyes turn from a narrowed stance to a much larger beady eyed look. After about five minutes ChiChi's eyes close and the dragon falls into a deep sleep.

"That's it buddy. Sleep off the affects of the jewel." Hiccup says. He stands to his feet and turns towards Merida. For a second neither one of them move. Hiccup just stares at her like she is a ghost from a distant memory. Hiccup is buff in stature, but he is pale and weak. His breathe is shallow, and his eyes are droopy from exhaustion. He gazes at her in wonder, and Merida can't help but feel down to him. The mutual connection annoys her more than she would like to admit.

"I feel like I know you," They say simultaneously. Merida's heart skips a beat and she sees Hiccup crack a sideways smile.

"You're a Viking," Merida points to his shield, "Wait a minute… you're a Viking! You just tamed that… that thing!"

Merida draws her bow back and points it towards Hiccup. Hiccup throws his hands up backing away.

"Whoa, whoa, you have this all wrong! Look ChiChi is my dragon—"

"Your dragon? Why I outta just let this bow go straight through ye now while you can't escape!"

"I'm going to guess you aren't fond of Vikings," Hiccup says nervously, tripping over the steel spike Merida had dropped.

"Do I look like a Viking to you? I've had enough of you and yer Viking friends so prepare to die."

"Wait! Hold on a second! I come alone!" Hiccup defends, "And you said I'm him. Who's me? How do you know who I am?"

"I don—I mean I thought I knew—I just don't know okay? Stop asking questions!" Merida says drawing her bow again.

"Wait, Merida!" Hiccup shouts. Merida's eyes widen as he calls her by name. Hiccup seems almost just as surprised as she is.

"How do ye know my name?" Merida narrows her eyes, dropping her bow slightly.

"I don't know. I think I've heard it somewhere. It's like it was from a dream or something…" Hiccup says, his eyebrows furrowing, "I remember your voice. I was blacking out, drifting away at sea. Your voice it kept telling me to hold on because you would find me. I thought I was losing my mind."

Merida lowers her bow, noticing that Hiccup is clearly confused. The more she studies his face, the more he resembles the guy from her dream. The guy that had just lost everything. The Viking that had just lost everything.

"This sounds even crazier out loud that it did in my head." Hiccup shakes his head, "But then again, I can't really process anything that's happened the past few weeks."

Merida doesn't say a word, but instead puts her arrow away. Hiccup looks into Merida's eyes, and for a second, she sees herself. Hiccup is scared, probably even more scared than she is now. If her dreams actually do match the story behind this mysterious guy, then he's had a rough few weeks. Merida doesn't want to risk saying anything that could throw him off. The truth is that she would love it if this guy was a good Viking. She could use a friend after the two weeks she's had. Plus, if he knows nothing about Ardus and his pals, he would be blue to help her reclaim her kingdom.

Merida looks at the noonday sun and back at Hiccup. She puts her bow and arrow away and extends a hand. Hiccup looks reluctantly at her hand but takes it. His fingers are cold and his grip is weak. Merida hoists him to his feet but he stumbles back to the ground.

"When was the last time you've eaten?" Merida asks, poking at his arm muscles, examining his cheeks and ears.

"I don't know. I've been fading in and out. I think I might have eaten some fresh fish out at sea somewhere, but at this point, I'm not sure what's real and what's a dream."

"Well, yer ChiChi over there drew me out of my hideout and I don't exactly know the way back so yer only food option is—"

"Please don't say fish," Hiccup shakes his head and holds his stomach, "I'd give anything for something other than fish."

"I guess that means you've been eating," Merida smiles slightly, "I'm not sure I can find a herd to chase down. Yer big fat bully more than likely ate them, or chased them away. I don't know these parts of the woods to go hunting alone and yer not lookin' so hot to come with me. I guess that means we're stuck with fish."

Hiccup groans but nods.

"I've never fished in an ocean before, but I'm assuming it won't be hard. You stay with that thing while I go find some food, okay?" Merida instructs.

"Hey," Hiccup calls after her, "I have to know. Was I right? Are you Merida?"

Merida studies Hiccups face once more, worried about trusting a viking. If he found out she was a princess, who knows what he might think. He would either gravel at her feet or take her as bait. She was all Dunbroch had left. Her kingdom meant everything to her. Still she hears dream Hiccup's voice loud and clear.

There was a better way…

"I am," Merida nods, "My name is Merida."

Hiccup nods and gives her his best smile, however, his smile is full of disparate.

"Why did you save me?" Merida turns back to Hiccup. Hiccup lifts his head to meet her gaze.

"I don't know. I was just lying on the beach half conscious, but your scream zapped me back. I just reacted. I knew I had to save you. I couldn't let you die."

Merida runs her fingers through her tangly mess of hair and nods. She turns to walk towards the ocean when Hiccup calls after her.

"What about you? Why would you help someone as pathetic as me? Saving you is one thing, but I'm not worth it." Hiccup looks down, ashamed. Merida takes a deep breathe knowing a thing or two about feeling guilty and worthless.

"Everyone is worth something. And if you betray me, we'll... I'll probably shoot you without hesitation," Merida laughs giving him a teasing smile, "Besides, I couldn't let you die."