Chapter 4: First Meetings

The sun shone brightly over the dark waters of the North Sea, its rays glittering off the churning waves. Cutting through the surf on its way to the island of Berk was a wooden, three-mast sailing ship, it's white sails billowing in the sea breeze. A flag attached to the top of the central mast danced upon the wind, depicting a golden sun upon a field of purple.

Just below the flag, standing on the mast's topmost crossbeam was a young woman in her early twenties, with pale features, a slim build and long, chocolate brown hair that fluttered freely on the breeze like the flag above her. She was attired in a fine dress of purple and lavender silk, but no shoes adorned her feet, her bare toes grasping for purchase on the wooden beam. Her green eyes were focused on the island of Berk as it rose into view from the horizon and perched upon her shoulder was a small green chameleon, his gaze focused on the horizon as well.

"Pardon me, Princess," a sailor said as he scaled the ropes beneath her, "We need to make adjustments to the rigging."

"Oh, I'm sorry," the princess apologized as she moved out of the sailor's path, gracefully lowering herself down onto the rigging, "I'll get out of your way."

"Rapunzel!" a voice called as the princess began crawling down the rigging.

Turning towards the source of the voice, the princess, Rapunzel, spotted a young man standing on the crossbeam of one of the ship's other masts. He was roughly as old as Rapunzel with pale features, a mop of auburn hair, and green eyes. His most notable features, though, were a series of deformities which left him with a prominent hunch over his right shoulder and a sloped, jutting brow. He had a strong, muscular build, and when he smiled at Rapunzel, she felt her heart flutter.

"Quasi!" Rapunzel called back, waving at the young man with one hand.

"Stay right there!" the young man, Quasi, said as he pointed at her.

Nodding her head in reply, Rapunzel watched as Quasi grabbed a loose length of rope that was hanging from the rigging. Leaping off the crossbeam, Quasi gripped the rope with both hands and swung across the length of the ship. As his arc swung him upwards, Quasi released his grip on the rope and went flipping through the air. Reaching the part of the rigging Rapunzel was hanging from, Quasi nimbly flipped right side up and grabbed hold of the ropes, coming to a stop next to the princess.

"Are you trying to impress me?" Rapunzel questioned as she smiled warmly at Quasi.

"Maybe," Quasi replied with a shrug, "Did it work?"

"Yes," Rapunzel answered with a giggle before she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, the chameleon on her shoulder rolling his eyes in response.

"Your parents are looking for you, by the way," Quasi stated with a chuckle as Rapunzel pulled back.

"Well, I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting then," Rapunzel replied before she grabbed a rope and began rapidly descending towards the deck of the ship, "Race you down!"

"Hey!" Quasi cried after her, a note of amusement in his voice as he gave chase.

With the nimbleness and grace of people who had spent countless hours scaling great heights, Quasi and Rapunzel raced down to the deck, flipping and swinging around the sailors climbing the rigging with startling ease. In the end, Rapunzel reached the deck half a second before Quasi did, prompting the princess to laugh and dance merrily across the deck.

"You cheated!" Quasi accused with an amused chuckle.

"You're just mad that you lost," Rapunzel teased back, before she looked at the chameleon on her shoulder, "You alright, Pascal?"

The chameleon, Pascal, took a moment to reorient himself after the dizzying race down the rigging before he slowly nodded his head.

"Rapunzel!" a new voice called across the deck, catching Quasi and the princess' attention.

Looking towards the source of the voice, Rapunzel spotted a man and a woman standing near the front of the ship. Both were middle aged and possessed fair complexions like Rapunzel's own. The woman looked almost like an older version of Rapunzel herself, with the same slim build, green eyes, and standing roughly the same height. The only major difference was the darker shade of brown of the older woman's hair, which hung loose to her shoulders. The man was tall and broad shouldered, with warm brown eyes and short, chocolate brown hair with a matching, trimmed beard. The woman wore an elegant blue dress while the man was attired in a silk, white shirt, black pants and a rich, red coat, with both of them sporting golden, bejeweled crowns upon their heads.

"There you are, sweetheart," the woman greeted warmly, "I was wondering where you ran off too. We need to get ready, we've just come in sight of Berk."

"I saw, Mom," Rapunzel replied with a broad smile, "Oh, this is so exciting, isn't it? From what I've read in the history books, this is the first time members of the Coronian royal family have visited one of the Viking tribes in….well, ever!"

"There's good reason for that," the man observed grimly.

"Oh, come now, Henri," Rapunzel's mother admonished, "If Fergus and Elanor trust them, then so can we."

"Fergus went to war with these Vikings, Susanne," the man, Henri, countered, "Sun above, it was all I could do to keep Francois from following us with a fully armed battalion."

"Be that as it may," Susanne replied with an amused chuckle, "From what I understand, Fergus and Elanor trust these people enough to turn this marriage from an affair of state into a genuine celebration. Surely that counts for something."

"I suppose it does," Henri relented with a sigh, "If I'm being honest, it's not even the Vikings that truly worry me, it's the-"

"Dragon!" one of the sailors screamed from the rigging above.

Whipping their heads around to look at them man, the royal family turned their gazes in the direction he was indicating and quickly spotted a Deadly Nadder shooting through the sky towards the ship. As the sailors and others aboard the ship cried out in alarm, the Nadder veered off a moment before it slammed into the ship, kicking up water as it arched around the vessel. As the dragon passed them by, Rapunzel was able to spot a splash of red amongst the Nadder's blue scales, and let out a gasp of delight.

"It's Merida!" Rapunzel called as she ran up to the ship's railing and watched the Nadder come about with wide, awe-filled eyes.

As Boudica swung back around to the front of the ship, Merida leaned over the dragon's side and waved down at the Coronian royal family. Flapping her bat-like wings, Boudica slowed herself until she landed on the front of the ship, perching on the vessel's prow. As everyone except Rapunzel and her family backed away from the dragon, Merida slid off the dragon's back and landed gracefully on the ship's deck, taking a moment to run her hands through her windswept hair.

"Merida!" Rapunzel exclaimed, laughing happily as she rushed across the deck towards the redhead.

"Rapunzel!" Merida replied as she ran to meet the other girl, the two princesses crashing together somewhere in the middle and embracing, laughing as they did so.

"Oh, it's sae good tae see ye!" Merida exclaimed as she hugged Rapunzel tighter.

"I could say-ow, ow, ow!" Rapunzel gasped, causing Merida to quickly release her.

"What?" Merida questioned as she took a step back, concern written across her face, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rapunzel replied as she rubbed the small of her back, "You're just...a lot stronger than I remember."

"Och, right, sorry," Merida apologized with a chuckle as she rolled up the sleeve on her right arm and flexed it, showing off her well-defined bicep, "Daenae know ma own strength anymore. Vikin' livin's been good tae me, ya know?"

"I can see that," Rapunzel commented with a smile before her brow furrowed in confusion. Stepping closer to Merida, Rapunzel put her hand on the top of her head, before moving it towards Merida, bumping the other princess in the middle of her forehead in the process.

"You're taller than me now!?" Rapunzel exclaimed as she stepped back, looking at Merida with an expression of shocked betrayal, "That's not fair!"

"Sorry," Merida replied with an amused laugh and a helpless shrug.

"Rapunzel's just mad because she's not winning anymore," Quasi said as he walked up to the princesses, prompting the brunette to turn and stick her tongue out at him, "It's wonderful to see you again, Merida."

"Och, Ah feel th' same way, Quasi," Merida replied as she leaned down and embraced the hunchback, "Ah was sae excited 'at Ah decided Ah cudnae wait an' Ah just had tae fly out an

meet ye!"

"You certainly made quite the entrance, Merida," Susanne said as she and Henri walked up behind Quasi and Rapunzel, their gazes focused on Boudica, who was busy cleaning her scales, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Boudica," Merida answered as she turned and gestured towards the dragon in question, the Nadder perking up at the mention of her name, "She's….well, she's ma dragon."

As Merida spoke, a loud caw filled the air, before Varis flew into view and settled onto her shoulder.

"An' this is Varis," Merida continued with a bemused smile as she stroked the bird's feathers.

"Varis!" the crow quorked in a throaty voice, "Varis!"

"Ah'm teachin' 'im tae talk," Merida explained, smiling at the Coronian royals' surprised expressions.

"Stupid bird!" Varis cawed as he flapped his wings for emphasis, "Stupid bird!"

"It's uh, a work in progress," Merida added with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, it's very nice to meet the both of you," Rapunzel said as she stroked Varis' head before she warily turned her attention towards Boudica, who was watching her with interest, "Is it alright if I…?"

"Yes, ye can pet 'er," Merida confirmed with an amused chuckle before she looked over her shoulder at Boudica and clicked her tongue. In response, Boudica stepped fully onto the ship and leaned down so her snout was only a foot or so away from Rapunzel. Rapunzel regarded the dragon hesitantly before glancing over at Merida, who gave her an encouraging smile in return. Then, after taking a quick, calming breath, Rapunzel reached out and laid her hand on Boudica's snout, eliciting a pleased grunt from the dragon. Rapunzel grinned at the reaction, and began running her hand up and down Boudica's warm scales, giggling as Boudica practically purred at the attention.

"She's beautiful, Merida," Quasi said as he stepped up next to Boudica and petted the dragon on the side of her neck.

"Aye, th' problem is she knows it too," Merida replied with a snort, causing Boudica to grunt in annoyance before bumping the redhead lightly with her hip.

As Rapunzel continued petting Boudica, Pascal crawled off the princess' shoulder, scurried down her arm and climbed up onto the dragon's snout. Turning her gaze towards the chameleon, Boudica watched as Pascal gave her a friendly wave before changing color to match her blue scales, causing the dragon to start in surprise before letting out a snort of approval.

"Looks like Pascal's made a friend," Rapunzel observed with a giggle.

"Yeah, well, Boudica loves anyane who acknowledges how pretty she obviously is," Merida commented with a roll of her eyes as Pascal changed to a shade of yellow that matched Boudica's spikes, eliciting another snort of approval from the dragon.

"Well, since it's obvious your dragon isn't going to be eating anyone" Susanne observed as she walked up to the young woman and embraced her, "It's so wonderful to see you again."

"Ah can say th' same," Merida replied as she returned the hug, careful not to squeeze too hard this time.

"Your father said that you had taken well to Viking life," Henri said as he stepped up next to Susanne and looked Merida over with an appraising eye, "But it's one thing to hear and another thing to see."

"Ah, uh, know 'at it's nae what most people wud consider lady-like," Merida replied awkwardly as she gestured to her black trousers, green, short sleeve tunic and leather riding vest, "But Ah think it suits me rather well."

"I think you look great," Rapunzel muttered as she stopped petting Boudica and stepped up next to Merida, eliciting a smile from the other girl.

"Well, it looks like we'll be coming into port soon," Henri observed as he turned his attention towards the front of the ship, the island of Berk now looming before them, "We'd best make sure everything is prepared for our arrival."

"Come on!" Merida exclaimed as she grabbed Rapunzel's arm and began dragging her towards a different part of the ship, "Ah want ye tae meet everyane as soon as possible!"

As Merida pulled Rapunzel along, she ducked and dodged her way around the crew members who were busily going about their work. As she did, Merida almost bumped into a man who was making his way across the deck as well, only avoiding him as Rapunzel yanked the redhead backwards half a step.

Blinking in surprise, Merida took a moment to look at the man she had almost bumped into. He was tall with a lanky build, an olive complexion, dark brown hair and short, jet black hair along with a pointed goatee. He was dressed in a silken, purple doublet with gold trim along with matching pants and shoes. A wide-brimmed, purple hat sat upon his head, in which a yellow feather had been placed.

"Oh, your highness," the man said as he gave Rapunzel a quick bow, "My apologies, I didn't see you there."

"It's alright," Rapunzel replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "We're all running around a little crazy today."

"Indeed, the whole ship is positively buzzing with energy," the man agreed with a bright smile, before turning his gaze towards Merida, "It's good to see you again, Princess Merida."

Blinking in confusion, Merida studied the man's features, trying to figure out why he might know her. Suddenly, recognition dawned across her features.

"Ye're Clopin!" Merida declared as she pointed up at the man, "Th' jester from th' Feast o' Fools celebration!"

"Indeed I am," Clopin confirmed as he took a step back, doffed his hat and gave Merida a more theatrical bow, "Among other things."

"Ah almost didnae recognize ye because ye were wearin' a mask th' last time we met," Merida observed with a smirk, "What brings ye 'ere?"

"Your nuptials, of course," Clopin explained as he placed his hat back on his head, "Wherever there's a party, you'll find I'm not far away."

Something about the way Clopin said this made Merida feel as though he wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she decided not to press it.

"Are Eugene an' Esmeralda 'ere as well?" Merida asked as she looked over at Rapunzel.

"Unfortunately not," Rapunzel replied with a sigh, "Esmeralda's busy running the tavern while Eugene's duties as the Captain of the Guard required them to stay behind. They both send their congratulations though."

"Well, it's still nice tae-" Merida began to say but as she turned back to Clopin, she found that the man had disappeared.

"Is it just me or is he a little….off puttin'?" Merida asked as she looked back at Rapunzel.

"I trust Clopin with my life," Rapunzel replied before a look of chagrin crossed her face and she nodded her head, "But it does feel like he has ulterior motives these days. My father recently appointed him as the court fool, but I think it might be cover for something else."

"Like Ah spy?" Merida questioned.

"Maybe," Rapunzel commented with a shrug, "A big wedding like yours would be a pretty good place to spy on people too, I suppose."

"Well, Ah suppose it daesnae matter right now," Merida replied as she looked off the ship and saw that it had pulled into dock, "What matters right now is me introducin' ye tae everyane."

Taking Rapunzel's hand again, Merida quickly led the brunette over to where the gangplank was being lowered onto the dock. At the same time, a sizable crowd of Vikings and Highlanders had gathered at the end of the docks to gawk at the royal ship. Hiccup and Stoick stood at the front of the group along with Fergus and Elinor, with Hiccup now dressed in a green tunic, brown fur vest and brown trousers. Anxiously, Hiccup glanced over his shoulder at where his friends were standing in the crowd, smiling nervously as Fishlegs gave him an encouraging thumbs up.

"That is quite the sizable ship," Stoick commented as he looked up at the three-masted vessel looming above them.

"Aye, ye think he's compensatin' fer saemethin'?" Fergus questioned while flashing a wry grin at Stoick, causing the Viking chief to snort in amusement.

"Ah swear, th' two o' ye are worse now as friends than ye ever were as enemies," Elinor commented with an annoyed sigh.

"Och, Ah'm just tryin' tae lighten th' mood, Elinor," Fergus replied with a chuckle, "Stoick 'ere is far too nervous tae be meetin' such kind-hearted folk."

As the adults spoke, a herald dressed in splendid, purple and gold clothing stepped onto the dock and blew a brass horn to get everyone's attention.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" the herald called as he lowered the horn from his lips, "It is my great honor to introduce to you-"

"Excuse me!" Merida called, interrupting the herald as she brushed past him, Rapunzel in tow, "Comin' through!"

"Sorry, Phillipe!" Rapunzel apologized as she looked back at the frazzled herald.

"Merida, please," Elinor complained as her daughter and Rapunzel drew closer, "Ye know there's protocol fer these sorts o' thin's."

"Sorry, Ma," Merida half-heartedly apologized while flashing her mother her best smile, "My upcomin' weddin' has me sae excited, Ah must hae plain forgot."

Elinor sighed and rolled her eyes but made no attempt to argue with her daughter.

Reaching the end of the dock, Merida stopped in front of Hiccup with Rapunzel standing next to her.

"Well, Ah guess Ah shud try daein' this a bit formally fer ma mother's sake," Merida joked before motioning towards Hiccup, "Rapunzel, this is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock th' Third, son o' Stoick the Vast, chief o' Berk, an' ma betrothed."

In response, Hiccup gave Rapunzel a friendly smile before doing his best impression of a courtly bow.

"Hic," Merida continued as she stepped next to Hiccup and wrapped her arms around one of his, "This is Rapunzel Ensoleillement, Princess o' Corona an' ane o' ma dearest friends."

As Merida finished speaking, Rapunzel gave Hiccup a graceful curtsy.

"So, uh, have we reached the point where we can just talk to each other?" Hiccup questioned, a tone of amused awkwardness to his voice.

"Yes, I believe that will be the extent of formalities," Rapunzel replied with a chuckle, "It's wonderful to finally be able to talk to you in person, Hiccup."

"Yeah, it kind of feels weird being introduced after we exchanged all of those letters," Hiccup agreed as he scratched the back of his head, "Between that and everything Merida has told me, I feel like we already know each other."

"Indeed, and I still haven't forgiven you for making a mockery of my cake recipe for Merida's birthday," Rapunzel stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave Hiccup a sour look.

"Ye hae tae cut 'im a little slack," Merida spoke up in Hiccup's defense as the young man hung his head in embarrassment, "It was his first time bakin' a cake."

"I suppose," Rapunzel agreed with a sigh before she leaned in closer to Hiccup and stage whispered, "I have to say, you are every bit as handsome as Merida's letters said you were."

"Rapunzel!" Merida hissed as both her and Hiccup's face flushed with embarrassment.

"You should just be happy I'm not going to say all the other things you wrote," Rapunzel replied with a devious grin, "But I suppose those are things that can't really be said in polite company anyway."

As Hiccup let out a surprised choking sound while his entire face turned red, Merida could only shake her head in amazement.

"When did ye become sae risque?" Merida questioned with an amused smile.

"Well, I am friends with a number of notorious, disreputable criminals," Rapunzel countered with a shrug, "I guess they had a bad influence on me."

At that point, the conversation was cut off by the sound of a loud trumpet, bringing their attention to the herald that Merida had pushed past.

"Now, introducing," the herald called, "Accompanied by the Hero of the Realm, Quasimodo, the King and Queen of Corona, Henri and Susanne!"

As the herald finished announcing them, Quasi, Susanne and Henri stepped onto the dock and made their way down towards the others.

"Wait, that's Quasimodo?" Snotlout questioned as he stared at the hunchback in question.

"I guess so," Astrid confirmed with a shrug.

"That guy is the big Hero of the Realm Merida told us about?" Snotlout asked again as he looked between Astrid and Fishlegs.

"She also told us he was a hunchback," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Yeah, but I wasn't expecting that," Snotlout explains as he motions towards Quasi with his head, "How does a guy like that end up with a girl like her?"

"Probably by not having a mouth like yours," Astrid countered as she shot Snotlout a withering look, causing him to look back at her in confusion.

By that point, Henri, Susanne and Quasi had reached the end of the dock, where the king stood, silently sizing up Stoick and the other Vikings.

"Well, Ah suppose Ah should follow ma daughter's example an' dae saeme introductions," Fergus spoke up as he stepped between Henri and Stoick, gesturing to each men as he spoke, "Henri, Susanne, this is Stoick th' Vast, chief o' Berk, an' his son, Hiccup, my soon tae be son-in-law. Stoick, this is King Henri an' Queen Susanne, th' rulers o' th' Kingdom o' Corona, their daughter, th' Princess Rapunzel, an' her beloved, Quasimodo."

"It's an honor to have your family here on our island, your Majesties" Stoick stated as he gave the royals a stiff, awkward bow that Hiccup mirrored.

"It's an honor to be invited to your son's nuptials, Chief Stoick," Henri replied as he and Susanne gave him slight bows in return.

"I know we were invited due to our relationship with Elenor and Fergus," Susanne added, "But I must confess, I was excited to visit your island after all the stories we've heard."

"Stories?" Stoick inquired as he arched an eyebrow at the royals.

"Well, as you know, Merida and I exchange letters," Rapunzel spoke up, "So she told me about everything that happened with the dragons and the Red Death."

"And Rapunzel was pretty quick to tell the rest of us," Quasi added.

"It wasn't long before the story had spread through a large portion of Corona," Henri explained, "Possibly beyond."

"So, quite a few people in Corona have heard the story of Hiccup Dragonrider and Merida the Brave." Susanne finished with a smile.

"Oh, wow," Hiccup murmured, his face flushing, "That's a little bit….intimidating."

"You get used to it," Rapunzel said with a reassuring smile, "I had to deal with everyone knowing me as "the Lost Princess" and then with the story spreading about everything that happened after, so trust me when I say I know what it's like."

"Merida has told a few of us your story as well," Stoick observed with a friendly smile.

"A few of you, you say?" Rapunzel questioned as she looked past Stoick at the gathered villagers at the end of the dock, who were whispering excitedly and pointing towards her.

"It was th' whole village," Merida admitted with a shrug, "Vikin's love stories, an' it made fer a good ane over th' cold winter months."

"Like I said, I'm used to it," Rapunzel replied with a shrug of her own.

"Well, now that introductions are out of the way, shall I show you to where you'll be staying?" Stoick suggested.

"Lead the way," Henri replied as he gestured towards the island with one hand, "Though I do hope it's not going to be anywhere near your dragons. I fear they might take some….getting used to."

"The dragons tend to go where they will," Stoick said with an amused smirk, "But we'll do our best to make sure they give you a wide berth."

"Wait up, Your Majesties!" a gruff voice called from down the dock.

Looking towards the source of the voices, Hiccup spotted a trio of rough looking men making their way down the dock towards them. The shortest of them had a muscular build, a bald head, thick eyebrows over his dark brown eyes and a mustache that ran down both sides of his mouth. He was dressed in brown leather armor adorned with spikes along with matching bracers, brown, patched trousers and leather boots. His most distinguishing feature, though, was the hook he had in place of his left hand.

The skinniest of the group possessed a lean, muscular build and auburn hair that stuck out from under the winged, iron helmet he wore. He had brown eyes and a large, bulbous nose that looked like it had been broken multiple times before. He wore a leather jerkin along with matching bracers, black trousers, leather boots and a brown, fur cape. He carried an iron spear that he rested on his shoulder as he walked.

The final man was also the largest of the trio, a towering mountain of muscle as large as Stoick himself. He had black hair that was braided on either side of his face and a goatee along with beady brown eyes. An iron helmet with a pair of large, curved horns adorning it sat upon his head and he also wore a brown fur vest along with leather bracers, green trousers and large, leather boots. A heavy, iron warhammer was strapped to his back.

"Whoa," Hiccup commented as he leaned closer to Merida and talked in a hushed voice, "Who are those guys?"

"They're th' Coronian Honor Guard," Merida explained, "They're three o' those thugs who Rapunzel befriended. They work fer th' royal family now as bodyguards."

"You know we can't have you running around without us!" the shortest member of the trio said as they reached the royal family.

"Roland, we're here for a wedding," Susanne chided the shorter man, "I don't see how we're going to be in much danger here."

"The fact that you're letting your guard down here is what makes it the perfect place for an assassin to strike!" the shorter man, Roland, argued, gesturing with his hookhand for emphasis while hitting the skinny man in the chest with his other hand, "Isn't that right, Alexi?"

"Yeah," the skinny man, Alexi, agreed with a nod, "And that's not even taking into account all the dragons and Vikings around here."

Alexi paused and looked up at the largest member of their group with a nervous expression.

"Er, no offense, Vlad," Alexi apologized.

The large man, Vlad, only grunted in reply.

"Well, if you're so worried, you can check the guest house for booby traps once we get there," Stoick observed with a sigh as he turned and began making his way off the dock, prompting the Highland and Coronian royals to follow along with the Honor Guard in tow.

"Come on," Merida beckoned to Rapunzel and Quasi, "Ah still need tae introduce ye tae th' others."

Smiling in response, Rapunzel took Quasi's hand and followed Merida and Hiccup over to where Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins were waiting. As they went, Vlad followed them with gaze while walking behind the Coronian royals. As his gaze fell upon Fishlegs, however, Vlad's eyes went wide in surprise before his thick brow furrowed in thought, a troubled look forming on his features as he continued on his way.

A/N: Have to say this ended up as a very fun chapter to write. I know a lot of people were excited to see the Heaven's Light characters show up here, so I hope you all enjoyed it. As usual, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!