Chapter 3: History

Laughter and music filled the great feast hall of Macintosh Castle. Four long tables dominated most of the room, allowing for plenty of seating for the Highlanders that filled the hall. Wooden chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, illuminating the room with the burning candles they held. Tapestries covered much of the bare stone walls, each depicting a scene from the history of the Macintosh clan.

Sitting at a table on a raised dias near one end of the room, Gobber looked out at the rest of the rest of the hall. He watched as the Highlanders feasted and laughed with one another, though he noted a few of the women and the younger men shooting occasional glares at him.

"Are ye alright, Mr. Gobber?" Aileene questioned from her seat to the Viking's right, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yes, Ah'm fine," Gobber replied, blinking his eyes as he turned to look at Aileene, "Jist takin' in th' new perspective, is all."

"Is this very different from Berk?" Aileene questioned curiously before taking a bite from her meal.

"Nae very," Gobber answered as he looked around the room, "We've got a hall nae too different from this ane back on Berk. Th' difference is Ah'm usually down there with th' rest o' th' regular folk."

"Well, here, ye are ma father's honored guest, an' thus deserve a seat at our table," Aileene stated, a smile on her face.

"Certainly nae a situation Ah am familiar with," Gobber stated with a chuckle.

"What is it 'at ye dae back on Berk?" Aileene questioned as she took a sip from her cup.

"Ah'm a blacksmith," Gobber explained proudly, "Ah'm also an occasional dragonslayin' trainer, though Ah daenae think Ah'll be gettin' much call fer 'at anymore."

"Ah remember Will sayin' th' man Princess Merida is gaein' tae marry has blacksmith trainin'," Aileene commented.

"Aye, 'at's Hiccup," Gobber replied with a grin, "He's ma apprentice….or at least, he was."

"Whit dae ye mean?" Aileene questioned, tilting her head to the side as she spoke.

"Well, now 'at he's practically guaranteed tae take over fer his father, Ah'll hae tae find saemeane tae replace him as ma apprentice," Gobber explained.

"Ah daenae understand," Aileene stated, her brow furrowed in confusion, "If Hiccup is th' chief's son, why was him becomin' th' next chief ever in question?"

"Ye daenae become a Vikin' chief jist because yer father was," Gobber elaborated, "Vikin's respect strength an' fer a while it seemed like Hiccup didnae hae 'at strength."

"But he proved ye all wrong," Aileene observed as she took another bite of her meal.

"Indeed he did," Gobber agreed as he took a swig of his drink, "In more ways than ane."

"Is it true whit Will an' ma father said?" Aileene questioned, her eyes going wide with wonder, "'At Hiccup an' Merida learned how tae train dragons?"

"'At they did," Gobber confirmed with a grin before taking another bite of his food.

"'At's amazin'," Aileene said in astonishment before a thought occurred to her and she looked at Gobber eagerly, "Dae ye know how tae train a dragon?"

"Ah know th' gist o' it," Gobber replied with a shrug, looking uncertain, "Ah wudnae put much trust in me tae dae it though. Daenae think Ah've got it in me."

"Why's 'at?" Aileene inquired.

"Well, Ah've spent ma whole life trainin' tae an' actually killin' dragons. Ah've been daein' it sae long 'at Ah daenae think Ah cud train ane. There's jist too much bad blood."

"Like th' bad blood between Vikin's an' Highlanders?" Aileene questioned with a knowing look.

Gobber fell silent as he looked at Aileene, blinking a few times in surprise.

"Ye're wise fer yer age, milady," Gobber commented with a smirk.

"Ah'd like tae think sae," Aileene replied with a smile before taking another bite of her food.

Hearing a loud laugh, Gobber looked to see Lord Macintosh at the center of the table, patting Will on the back and grinning at his son. Gobber grinned at the sight before a thought came to him.

"Milady," Gobber said, catching Aileene's attention, "Where is yer mother?"

Aileene turned and looked at Gobber with wide, surprised eyes. At the same time, Maudie hissed his name from her position to Gobber's left and grabbed his arm.

"Excuse me?" Aileene questioned with a quiet voice.

"Ah'm sorry, milady, he daesnae mean any harm by it," Maudie spoke up, leaning around Gobber so she could talk to Aileene.

"Did Ah say saemethin' wrong?" Gobber questioned in confusion.

"Nae, it's jist a….touchy subject," Aileene answered.

"Why? Is there saemethin' wrong with her?" Gobber asked before hissing in pain as Maudie dug her fingernails into his arm.

"She….she's dead," Aileene admitted after a moment.

"...Oh," Gobber said in quiet shock before turning his head to glare at Maudie, "Why didnae ye tell me 'at?"

"Ah thought it was obvious," Maudie hissed in reply.

"Well, it wasnae," Gobber whispered.

"Evidently," Maudie shot back.

"It's alright," Aileene spoke up, giving Gobber as small smile as he turned to face her again, "Ah know ye didnae mean any harm."

"Ah'm sorry all th' same," Gobber replied, "It's jist, ye said yer father was gaein' tae speak with her when we arrived."

"He was," Aileene confirmed, "She's buried oot behind th' keep by th' cliffs. She used tae like watchin' th' waves crashin' against th' shore. At least, 'at's whit they tell me."

"Did ye nae know her well?" Gobber questioned.

"Nae, she died in th' war nae long after Ah was born," Aileene explained.

"Th' war?" Gobber asked, his face growing pale.

"Nae th' war with Berk," Aileene explained, "Th' ane with th' Vendal."

"Th' Vendal?" Gobber questioned in surprise before he thought for a moment, "Ah remember th' princess mentionin' a war o' some sort with th' Vendal."

"It happened nae long after our war with Berk," Aileene elaborated, "We were still weak after 'at an' were still gettin' used tae bein' a unified kingdom. Th' Demon Bear must hae figured this was th' best time tae attack."

"Mor'du," Gobber growled, his eyes narrowing in anger.

"Th' very same," Aileene replied quietly, "They attacked Macintosh lands first, like th' Vikin's afore them. They caught us off guard, sacked th' castle an' burnt th' village tae th' ground. We barely escaped an' many people died includin'…."

Aileene paused and bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes. Reaching out, Gobber placed his good hand on Aileene's shaking shoulder. Looking over at them, Aileene found Gobber and Maudie both giving her sympathetic looks.

"Ye daenae hae tae keep talkin' aboot it if ye daenae want tae, milady," Maudie stated with a sad smile.

"Nae, Ah want tae," Aileene replied as she quickly wiped her eyes, "Mr. Gobber shud know his people's story."

"In 'at case, whit happened next. milady?" Gobber questioned.

"Th' war began in earnest," Aileene explained, "Mor'du used th' castle as th' Vendal base while they raided th' countryside. Most o' our lands were put tae th' torch an' th' people who survived scattered intae th' lands o' th' neighborin' clans. By th' time th' king received word o' th' attacks an' managed tae muster his army, Mor'du had already pushed deep intae MacGuffin lands."

"He was dividin' ye," Gobber surmised, "He was tryin' tae split th' kingdom in two."

"He was," Aileene confirmed, "He kept Dingwall's men from joinin' with th' rest an' forced MacGuffin against th' sea. MacGuffin tried tae hire men from th' Emerald Isles tae fight fer him but they broke at th' first sign o' trouble an' Mor'du managed tae split MacGuffin's forces in half."

"It daesnae seem like th' war was gaein' in th' Highlands favor," Gobber observed as he took a sip from his drink.

"It wasnae," Aileene concurred, "After he defeated MacGuffin, Mor'du headed south tae face th' king. Will says people were sure th' king wud lose. All he had was his own clansmen along with a handful o' ours an' MacGuffin's against th' Vendal horde."

"Where did Mor'du get sae many men?" Gobber pondered aloud.

"Naebody knows fer sure," Aileene replied with a shrug, "Ah've heard people say he kept women, both Vendal an' those he captured, chained up tae use as breedin' stock."

"'At's awful," Maudie moaned as she covered her mouth in shock.

"Wudnae anyane help?" Gobber questioned, "Daesnae th' Highlands hae allies?"

"Nae back then," Aileene replied with a shake of her head, "Th' Highland Kingdoms had jist formed after th' war with Berk. Most o' th' southern nations saw us as nae better than th' Vendal an' wudnae get involved in a conflict between two 'barbarian tribes.' Th' Emerald Isles had already proved nae help an' Duloc was actively against us, guardin' their border an' killin' any o' our people who tried tae cross it, blamin' it all on ogres."

"Bastards," Gobber muttered angrily.

"It was exactly whit Mor'du expected," Aileene went on, "Nobody wud come tae our aid. Which is why he was sae surprised when saemebody did."

"Really?" Gobber questioned in surprise, "Who?"

"Corona," Aileene answered with a grin, "King Henri is a good man. They say he was th' anly ane tae treat King Fergus like an equal after he was crowned. When he heard aboot th' trouble here he sent a portion o' his army, commanded by his own brother, tae help. He sent them in secret, sae they ended up catchin' both sides by surprise when they arrived in th' middle of th' battle."

"Sae, they won?" Gobber guessed.

"They did," Aileene confirmed, "Men hae written songs aboot th' Coronian knights chargin' intae th' Vendal horde on th' backs o' their white chargers, th' sun glitterin' off their golden armor."

"'At is quite th' image," Gobber stated with a smile, "Whit happened next?"

"Taegether, we an' th' Coronians routed th' Vendal an' started pushin' them north. Eventually, we pushed them back enough tae meet up with Lord Dingwall's men an' th' survivors from th' other clans. With th' combined might o' all th' clans an' th' Coronian knights, they threw Mor'du right off th' island."

"Shame they didnae put an end tae him then an' there," Gobber said, "Wud hae saved a lot o' people a lot o' trouble."

"Probably," Aileene agreed with a nod, "But he got whit he deserved in th' end."

"'At he did, an' more," Gobber chuckled.

"Is it true 'at this Hiccup o' yers killed him?" Aileene inquired.

"He did," Gobber confirmed as he pointed at his eye, "Got th' bastard right in th' eye."

"Ah'll hae tae give him a kiss fer 'at if Ah ever meet him," Aileene replied with a pleased look on her face."

"Ah daenae think th' princess wud appreciate 'at," Gobber teased with a laugh.

"O-Oh," Aileene said, suddenly looking quite nervous, "Ah suppose Ah shudnae dae 'at then."

"Whit?" Gobber questioned, confused by Auleene's sudden change in demeanor before a thought clicked in his head, "Ye're nae scared o' her, are ye?"

"N-Nae!"Aileene replied quickly, nervously waving the accusation away, "Ah'm nae….Ahe nae scared o' her. Intimidated perhaps."

"Whitever fer?" Gobber asked curiously, "She's a sweet lass."

"Ah-Ah know she is, it's jist…." Aileene paused, taking a deep breath to recollect herself, "Ye look at her an' she's basically Boudica reborn. She's strong, willful, brave. Everythin' th' stories say a Highlander woman shud be like. Everythin' Ah'm nae."

"Trust me when Ah say 'at Ah'm sure th' queen wud hae prefered it if Princess Merida had been more like ye growin' up, milady," Maudie said with a chuckle as she leaned around Gobber again.

"Ah know, but Ah've always wanted tae be more like her," Aileene replied wistfully, "But Ah know Ah ne'er can be. Ah cannae even dream o' pickin' up a weapon an' Ah'm abysmal with horses."

"Why dae ye want tae be like her so bad anyway?" Gobber questioned as he took another sip of his drink.

"Ah daenae know," Aileene replied with an embarrassed shrug, glancing down the table as she twirled a lock of her hair, "Ah mean, saeme people like a lass like 'at, right?"

Following Aileene's gaze, Gobber saw Boyd at the other end of the table, staring absentmindedly at his dish, nodding his head as Adra spoke to him. Turning to Maudie, Gobber quirked an eyebrow at her, earning a shrug in reply. Turning back to Aileene, Gobber chewed his lip for a moment before an idea formed in his head.

"Ah suppose ye're right, ye daenae remind me o' Merida much," Gobber mused, "Ye know who ye dae remind me o'?"

"Who?" Aileene questioned curiously.

"Her mother?" Gobber answered.

"Really?" Aileene asked in surprise

"Indeed," Gobber stated with a nod, "Ye hae 'at same grace, 'at same elegance 'at she has. There's a strength in 'at too, ye know. A strength 'at people will notice."

"Ye think sae?" Aileene questioned hopefully.

"Ah dae, milady," Gobber replied with a smirk and a nod as he took a sip from his drink.

"Thank ye, Mr. Gobber," Aileene said with a smile.

"Daenae mention it," Gobber replied with a nod as Aileene turned back to her food.

"'At was well done," Maudie congragulated him quietly as she lay her hand on Gobber's arm to bring his attention to her.

"Ah hae ma moments," Gobber replied with a grin.

"Ah hope ye're enjoyin' yer time here," Maudie said with a smile.

"Ah am," Gobber answered, "It started oot a wee bit rocky but Ah think Ah'm gaein' tae enjoy a nice, quiet holiday here."

As Gobber spoke, the front door to the hall suddenly banged open, catching everyone's attention. A ragged young man stumbled in, his hair a mess and his eyes wide. By the look of his worn, muddy boots and his heaving chest, it seemed like he had run a long distance.

"Dragon!" the young man bellowed as he entered, his voice echoing off the stone walls as everyone else fell silent, "Dragon in th' Highlands!"

"The again…." Gobber muttered before downing the rest of his drink and standing up as others began to rush to the young man's side.

"Lord Macintosh!" the young man cried as people began to surround him, "Ah must speak with Lord Macintosh!"

"Ah'm here, lad," Macintosh said a she pushed his way through the crowd. Seeing him, the young man stumbled towards the lord and began to fall to the ground, forcing Macintosh and some of the men surrounding him to catch and steady him.

"M'lord," the young man said breathlessly, "A dragon, m'lord. A dragon in th' Highlands."

"Aye lad, but where?" Macintosh pressed, placing his hands on the young man's shoulders.

"Yorksdale, m'lord," the young man answered, "We hae men but they daenae….th' dragon."

"Ah understand, lad," Macintosh replied, "Dragons can be tricky business. Ye did good, we'll get ye looked after.

Pulling back, MAcintosh ordered his men to see the young man to a baed. As they led him away, Macintosh sighed and placed his hands on his hips as the other people gathered around him.

"Dragons in Yorksdale?" one person questioned.

"Whit if they come south?" another wondered.

"Whit are we tae dae?" a third worried.

"Ah'll tell ye whit we're gaein' tae dae," Macintosh said, bringing everyone's attention back to him, "Ah'm gaein' tae take a few good men an' we're gaein' tae gae protect our people."

"Ah daenae think 'at's th' best plan, Da," Will spoke up as he walked up behind his father, Andra and Boyd following behind him.

"Excuse me?" Lord Macintosh questioned as he turned towards his son and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"These men jist got back from riskin' thier lives," Will explained, "We cannae ask them tae turn around an' dae it again? Nae when we daenae hae tae."

"Whit dae ye suggest we dae then, son?" Lord Macintosh asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Me an' th' lads will gae," Will explained, pointing to the young men standing behind him.

"Jist th' three o' ye?" Macintosh questioned dubiously.

"It's like th' man said, they've got men up in Yorksdale," Will elaborated, "Whit they need are some folk who know a thin' or two about dragons."

"An' 'at'd be ye?" Macintosh asked, still not buying it.

"Ah didnae see ye flyin' on a dragon at th' Nest," Will argued with a smirk.

"Sae, whit?" Macintosh questioned, "Ye're gaein' tae tame this dragon?"

"Why nae?" Will questioned back, "From whit Ah've seen, 'at might be th' quickest solution. Fer all we know, this dragon is jist hungry and scared. Ah cud jist feed him a fish an' he'll be ma best friend fer life."

"Be 'at as it may, Ah cannae jist send th' three o' ye alone," Macintosh said with a sigh.

"Well, ye wonae hae tae worry about 'at," Gobber spoke up, the crowd parting to let him by as he stepped forward, "Because Ah'll be gaein' with them."

"Ah cannae ask ye tae dae 'at, Gobber," Macintosh stated with a shake of his head.

"Well, luckily fer ye, Ah'm volunteerin', sae ye daenae hae too," Gobber rebutted with a smile.

"Ye sure aboot this?" Macintosh questioned.

"Look, despite recent events, Ah can guarantee ye're nae gaein' tae find anyane around here who know more aboot dragons that Ah dae," Gobber answered.

"Yorksdale is close tae Dingwall lands too," Boyd suddenly spoke up, "Ah'm sure they cud spare some men tae help."

"Alright," Macintosh relented with a sigh, "Ah'll leave it up tae ye lot. Ah'll send a bird up north an' you four will leave at first light."

"First light," Will agreed with a nod before turning back towards Boyd and Andra, "Alright lads, lets finish our meals an' get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead o' us tomorrow."

"'At gaes double fer ye, auld man," Will continued, grinning as he pointed at Gobber, who merely rolled his eyes and began making his way back to his seat. As he walked, he found Aileene waiting for him.

"Are ye gaein' tae take good care o' ma brother, Mr. Gobber?" she questioned.

"Ah'm gaein' tae dae ma best, milady," Gobber replied with a smile, "With any luck, it will be ane o' th' good dragons an' yer brother will come back ridin' it."

"Ah thought ye werenae any good at training' dragons," Aileen pointed out.

"Ah said Ah haenae tried ma hand at it yet," Gobber argued, "This auld dog still might be able tae learn a new way o' daein' thin's."

"But whit if this new way daesnae work?" Aileene pressed, worriedly, "Whit if it's nae a good dragon?"

"Then we dae thin's th' auld way," Gobber stated, his face falling into a serious, almost dangerous, expression, "An' Ah am very good at th' auld way."

A/N: Lot's of info and character development in this one plus we get to kick off the main storyline. Hope you guys liked it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!