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I do not own the story of How to train your dragons or any of the original characters. Any names matching public or historical figures are strictly coincidental. The story is rated M because of language and adult situations. Anyone below the age of 17 should probably not read this story
Chapter 16 The Return
Elinor was running as fast as she could holding two frightened toddlers. All she could hear was her lungs gasping for more oxygen, the beating of her heart and the terrifying shredding of foliage caused by whatever was chasing them.
Merida and Hiccup had gone unnervingly silent since the joining. The wisps still showed her way, then suddenly they disappeared. Replacing them about eighty feet away blocking the path to safety was a huge dark snarling mass. The mass rose and turned into the largest bear she had ever seen in her 26 years of life. The children both screamed.
She was doing her best to fight off panic when an awful realization came to her. This was no normal, bear this was…….Mordu! She fell to her knees and began to cry. How could this happen? Why would the gods bring her this far, have the children succeed in joining only to have them ripped apart and eaten by this ugly abhorrent creature of myth made alive?
This couldn't be right but as Mordu lowered himself and prepared to charge, Elinor understood it was all too true. She hugged the two babies closer so they couldn't see and closed her eyes.
"Ah'm sorry my sweet babies, Ah'm so sorry," said the young queen. She could hear the bear roar as he began his charge and she braced herself for the end. It never came. There was an explosion and when Elinor opened her eyes to her left, she saw a great swath of downed burning trees.
She noticed that the wisps had reappeared and were once again guiding her. There came the sound of huge flapping of wings and a gust of wind. With a thud, something landed forty feet to her left and it was no bird, it was
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the huge black dragon she had seen on the pillar. The dragon twisted its neck to the left and looked at her. She was paralyzed with fear and could not move.
Hiccup yelled, "It's alright Elinor, he won't hurt us." The dragon then did something strange. It turned its head to the left, warbled and pointed its head towards the path the wisps were illuminating. She needed no more encouragement. She stood and began to run at full speed toward the-wisps.
There was another huge long roar from the dragon. She shouldn't have, but she couldn't help herself, she stopped and turned to look in the direction of the dragon. The dragon was looking straight ahead. It then opened his mouth and shot a long stream of molten fiery liquid into the forest. There was another roar and Elinor saw something running in flames deeper into the woods.
Before the dragon could concentrate on her, Elinor ran as fast as she could for safety. Within minutes the queen was out of the forest and going to the front of the cottage where the carriage was waiting.
Maudie saw her and opened the door. Elinor threw the kids inside and as she entered she yelled up to the driver, "Driver, get me the fuck out of here and to the castle as fast as ye can." The driver complied with the six riders in pursuit.
Maudie; "Wha happened yer majesty," the nanny asked.
Panting and sweating profusely Elinor brought the children close to her body. Merida and Hiccup clung to each other.
"Maudie ye wouldn't believe me if I told ya," said Elinor.
Elinor looked over herself and the children. They were filthy and their clothes were torn but they were alive, gods be praised. An hour later Maudie looked into the children's bedroom. There lay her queen with her arms around the prince and the princess, all sound asleep fully clothed.
Maudie smiled, shook her head, pulled off all of their shoes and placed a blanket over the trio. She blew out the candle and closed the door. As she
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walked down the long hallway back to her room she was thinking. Tonight the queen could rest but tomorrow she would have to give the King, (and her nanny), an explanation of the evening's mysterious activities.
The day was grey and dreary. There was no wind, but the rain was coming down in sheets. The column consisted of an escort of 40 knights followed by Five carriages then no less than 100 infantrymen.
The first was the Royal Carriage with King Fergus, Queen Elinor, Princess Merida, and Prince Hiccup, Friend of the Queen and the Lord of Delaney Castle. The next three carriages held Lord and Lady MacGuffin and their oldest three children, then came Lord and Lady Macintosh with their three children, Lord and Lady Dingwall with their oldest three oldest children.
Finally the last coach there was Sir Arthur Macintosh who had been designated Ambassador to Berk, (his primary mission was to protect the little Lord from his father, then there was Jacob Maclehany of Clan Dunbroch, a royal educator and now tutor to Lord Hiccup, two guards/servants Daniel and Thomas.
(Inside the Royal Carriage, the King had the little boy on his lap and he was speaking to him in a fatherly manner, "I know you don't want to leave son, and we don't want ye ta leave either, but sometimes even a King must do things he doesn't want to do for the benefit of his people".
Hiccup looked up the King sighed and said, "Duty right sire?"
Fergus; "Yes my boy duty".
Hiccup looked over at Elinor and Merida and said, "I will do my duty but I don't have to like it."
Hiccup jumped off the king and walked over to Merida who was being held by Elinor. He picked up her hand and looked into her tear-filled eyes. They just stared at each other.
Elinor; "Are you alright Hiccup?" asked the queen.
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Merida; "Hiccup was telling me he loves me and at everything is going ta be fine. Ah told him that I love him back and I'm going to miss him sooo much."
King Fergus; "Ye didn't say a word, Merida," said the King.
"It was heart talk da," said the princess. "Heart talk. Merida, wha is at?" asked the King.
Elinor; "It's a special form of communication that Hiccup and Merida received from the gods at the joining. It allows them to know what's going on with the other even over long distances."
The King was flabbergasted, "Joining, joining, what the Helheim is a joining? What is going on Elinor?" demanded the king.
"Fergus Ah told ye this very mornin. Didya no ye hear me?" asked the queen.
Fergus, "To be honest wife, Ah thought ye were joking or making up a tale to entertain the children. Ah'm sorry but Ah didno pay much attention. Could ye explain it ta me again dear?" asked the King.
They were almost at the Viking Longboat.
Elinor; "It was no accident that these children came together. Both have been touched by the gods. They were drawn together by a love given to them by the gods. Ah had spoken with the healers, Lady Yara and Lady Gothi.
They told me about the children's futures, one good, one bad. The good came from the joining. The other, failure of the joining, would result in Hiccups' death and Merida's lifelong unhappiness." said the queen said.
But what is joining? What does it mean?" asked the King.
Elinor paused then said, "The joining is a marriage of the spirit. It is also a joining of the mind and heart. Once two people are joined they are bonded until death. In essence Hiccup and Merida are spiritually married.
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They have a spiritual connection. They feel each other's emotions, they can communicate to a point and if one is hurt, the other won't feel the physical pain, but they would know. And Fergus, their bond will grow as they do. Even now it is strong. Hiccup can feel Merida's despair and Merida can feel Hiccups' anger," said the queen.
Fergus; "How do ye know these things are true?" asked the king.
Merida spoke first, "Mummy feels it too Da. Mummy's heart makes us feel better," said the princess.
Elinor; "The gods have made me the children's Guardian. Nothin has happened like this in a thousand years. Ah'm not sure what mah role in all of this is but Ah can tell ye this, Merida and Hiccup owns the heart of the other."
The column stopped.
King Fergus; "It's time. Be brave my son. Remember that you are Friend of the Queen, you are Merida's betrothed and you are also a Lord of Scotland. Hold your head up. Don't ever let anyone see ye cry and if things get bad just remember who ye are."
The king reached down hugging Hiccup and giving him a final kiss with tears in his eyes. This was more than Elinor could take. She sobbed uncontrollably. Hiccup pulled Merida down. He looked her in the eyes and the little touched his own heart and then he brought his hand and put it on Merida's heart. The little girl's face lit up and she nodded then smiled.
He reached to his neck and took his chain off and placed it around the princess's neck. I want you to keep this for me until I come back," then he kissed her goodbye on the lips.
Now the king and queen had Hiccup dressed like the other Lords. He wore his favorite aqua shirt and black pants with the red stripes and his seal boots. He was wearing a tiny silver breastplate. He was wearing his sword belt with his nutcracker sword and he was wearing a fur cape.
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Hiccup looked up at Elinor, "Please don't cry Elinor. No matter what happens, you will always be my second mummy. I will love all of you forever no matter where the wind blows me."
There was a knock on the carriage door. Sir Arthur stood there and said to Hiccup, "It's time to go mLord" and he gave a slight bow.
"Why did you say that Sir Arthur?" asked Hiccup. "Because son, at's what ye are and will always be. Nobody can ever take
at from ye,"
Hiccup just shrugged. Put on yer helmet and we will go say goodbye to the others," said the Knight.
Hiccups helmet was a miniature version of Lord MacGuffins specially made for him as a gift from the royal armorer. It was polished silver with a red plume on top much like the hated Roman Centurions.
The king had set this sendoff up with the help of the Clan leaders to show Stoic the Vast just how important the little Viking was to the Scots. Hiccup let Sir Arthur secure his chin strap. He turned one last time and said, "please write to me, especially you Mer!".
Sir Arthur set him down on the ground because Hiccup refused to be carried.
"I want King Fergus to be proud of me. I want him to see I'm doing my duty," said Hiccup.
With that, he waved at Merida one more time and proceeded down the line of people that had come to say goodbye. He walked with his little legs shaking hands with his fellow Lords and bowing to the ladies.
Jacob turned to the two soldier servants also dressed in dark black armor as were all of the knights. "Daniel, would you and Thomas help me load all of our baggage aboard that garbage scow?" asked Jacob.
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"Sure thing master Jacob. Ah really get a kick out of the little Lord. E's one of a kind." "That e is Daniel, that he is," said Jacob as they started to lug the stuff up into the ship.
Hiccup made a special stop in front of Scarlet Macintosh. He bowed and she curtsied.
"Lady Scarlet I'm sorry Merida got mad at ye. She's truly sorry. Would you be my friend and write to me?" asked Hiccup. Lady Scarlet blushed and said, "Yes Lord Hiccup, Ah'll write, Ah promise".
Smiling Hiccup turned and began to shake hands of the knights and all the soldiers. Lord MacGuffin leaned over to Lady Minnie,
"That boy is a natural and e's a baby" said Ian.
"E is such a sweet child, Ah really hope at brute of a man donna kill him," said Minnie.
Ian; "The man's a bully, but e's not a stupid bully. E knows if Hiccup dies He and Berk are no long fer this world."
Thomas was standing near the entryway of the longboat when he heard a crewman say,
"They pay the Chief great homage with this display."
Thomas said in a voice loud enough to be heard by all, "Ye are an idiot Viking. This isn't for yer Chief, this is all for little Lord Hiccup."
Stoic turned red and watched as Sir Arthur stopped one last time and bowed respectfully to the royal family. Sir Arthur had offered to carry little Hiccup a couple of times but the boy refused, insisting that he be allowed to walk on his own. Sir Arthur walked up the gangplank first. As Hiccup made his way up he stopped, turned around connected with Merida, he gave one last wave. Then he was up at the top.
Sir Arthur picked the little boy up and set him on the deck. Hiccup didn't look back for fear he'd cry. Inside the carriage, Merida and Elinor watched
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the ship until it was out of sight. Merida smiled and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Elinor; "Merida when Hiccup put his hand on your heart and then his, what did that mean?" asked the queen.
"Hiccup was telling me e loves only me and that Ah own is heart and always will. At made me happy," said the little princess.
Elinor looked to her husband and said, "Bloody charmer that lad is. Ah'm glad their betrothed" she smiled and winked.
King Fergus just laughed.
The trip back to Berk was mostly uneventful. Valka had come over to kiss and hug her son which he gladly returned. Helga and Gothi, of course, embraced him, telling the boy how much they loved him. He stayed with them at night like always.
As usual, he slept in the middle of the bed. Stoic went to bang on the door in order to harass Gobber and the boy.The chief was stopped at the sight of Thomas.
"What the fuck are ye doing," asked the Chief.
Thomas smiled and said, "Ah'm standing guard Chief".
Stoic looked at the man with disdain and said, "You don't afore Ah feed ya ta the fish. Ah need to speak to Gobber,"
Thomas stepped in front of Stoic pulling his sword out partially, "Ah serve Lord Hiccup and Sir Arthur Viking, not you."
Stoic red-faced and angry yelled, "Get the fuck out of me way servant afore Ah kill ye meself," the chief said.
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In a calm voice, Thomas said, "Keep it down Viking, little Lord Hiccup and Lord and Lady Duterson are sleeping. For the record, Ah hope ye do try me, Ah really do. Ye better get used to the new reality Chief."
Stoic turned around fuming and went back on deck. Later, when he woke Valka, he took her as roughly as he could, he thought to himself, "The gods really do hate me".
They were half a day out from Berk. The sun was shining and there was a steady cool breeze filling the sails. Gobber and Hiccup stood near the bow looking out at sea. "It has a pretty good journey hasn't it Hiccup?" asked the blacksmith.
"Yes, it sure has. I'm glad you and Helga were there. I love you guys and ye made the trip better for me,"said Hiccup.
"Thank ya Hiccup. Me and Helga tried our best for ya lad. Ah'm glad ye are close to the Royal Family. They seem ta be good people, especially that wee princess, ye remember, yer betrothed," Gobber teased.
Hiccup; "I love them very much. I'm glad I'm betrothed to Merida. I miss her so much already. I just hope father doesn't take her away like he did Ylvi."
Gobber; Ye like her a lot du ye?"
Hiccup; "I love her and we are joined. She owns my heart. Someday, if I live long enough, I will marry Merida and I'll never have ta leave her again."
Sir Arthur came up; "Good morning my Lords," he said, a beautiful day it tis."
"Sir Arthur it's just plain old Gobber. So, is Hiccup really a Lord then, it wasn't just made up to piss off Stoic? Ah love that ye did it by the way. That mean bastard, Sorry Hiccup, needs ta ha the wind taken out of is sails every now and then."
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Sir Arthur; "Hiccup is a real Lord. E really has an old castle which is being fixed up. He also a wealthy toddler. His sheep should be giving him a profit come shearing time. His land will also be farmed.
They honored him very much. It shows how much the royal family loves im. Not ta mention e is betrothed to a Princess. Why does is father hate him so?"
Hiccup turned and looked at Gobber waiting for an answer.
"It's stupidly simple. Hiccup doesn't fit the mold of a typical Viking child according to the village and the Chief. The only one who cares aboot tha is Stoic. Look at im. E's a mere baby. E will grow, maybe not seven feet tall or weigh over 200 pounds but so what.
Hiccup has a brain and tries ta use it. E donna use violence as a first choice to solve a problem. The other problem is Stoic is no longer the center of Valka's universe. E also blames the toddler for his problems. Stoic is a pathetic man. E refuses ta see the potential in his son. It's a damn shame. It really is".
Hiccup; "Is father going ta kill me Gobber?" asked the little Viking.
Gobber; "Not if Ah have anything ta do with it, laddie." said Gobber.
Sir Arthur; "what the hel is at? Do ye have volcanoes around here?" asked the knight.
Gobber squinted then saw the smoke. "At, Sir Arthur, is Berk. And ats no good."
Gobber ran back to the quarter deck and told the Chief. The Chief, Captain Olaf and Gobber ran forward. Sir Arthur gently grabbed Hiccups' shoulder and pushed the boy behind him. The knight could feel the boy trembling.
"No need ta be frightened my Lord, Ah'll protect ye."
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Hiccup squeezed the old knight's leg. All three men squinted looking forward.
Stoic; "Dragon raid. It's got ta be"
Gobber; "It's bad if we can see smoke this far out."
Captain Olaf; "Man yer oars! Bosn hoist as much sail as ye can just short of ripping the sticks oot."
"Aye, Aye Captain," said a sailor.
Stoic then noticed the boy behind Sir Arthur. With a very mean voice and a grimace, Stoic said, "Good morning yer Lordship" then he spat on the deck.
Hiccup was not afraid anymore, "Good morning Stoic" giving a toddler-sized grimace back.
The Chief took a step towards the little one. Hiccup stood his ground crossing his arms across his chest. When Stoic moved, Sir Arthur immediately drew his sword. Thomas and Daniel arrived and they too drew their swords.
Sir Arthur; "Daniel, you and Thomas take Lord Hiccup to lady Helga"
"Yes sir" Daniel answered. They each gently took a hand still with their swords, "Come my Lord. Let's go see lady Helga. The air is better down there anyway."
Sir Arthur still had his sword at the Chief's neck, "Chief Stoic, this is your first and last warning. Don't ever get that close to Lord Haddock again or Ah'll strike ye down."
Stoic; "That little shite is my son. Ah'll approach im any time Ah want."
Sir Arthur; Ah really hope ye do try again ye bastard. It will give me a reason ta kill ye." Gobber and Sir Arthur then walked towards the ladderwell
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en route to check on the little Lord. Gobber had drawn a knife and had been ready to stick it in one of Stoics' kidneys.
Stoic; "Yet Another bastard Ah ha ta take care of in the ring".
Gobber laughed putting his knife away which the chief saw, "That list is getting pretty long ain't it," looking Stoic right in the eyes, "Make mah name is on the top.
Stoic was for the first time shaken. Now he really couldn't kill that worthless son of his. He would get rid of him some other way.
"Mummy, something is wrong with Hickey" said Merida.
Elinor; "What do ya mean, somethings wrong with Hiccup?" the queen asked, "Is he in danger, is he hurt?"
Merida; No he's not hurt but he is frightened. All my heart keeps hearing is something about smoke."
Merida went back to playing.
Maudie; "Is the child having visions?"
Elinor; "In a way Maudie. Their hearts are connected in the bond. She can sometimes feel what e's feeling. They don't understand it yet and neither do Ah. Ah may seek out the healer Yara to ask her about it."
Maudie; "They say in town that she's a witch". The Queen didn't correct the nanny.
The longboat made its way into the channel. There was a longboat burning on the beach The masts of three more that had sunk were poking out of the water. Two mutilated bodies floated past the ship.
Looking at the land Stoic could see that both lookout posts we destroyed. It seemed like there wasn't a house not on fire. Part of the docks was on fire and burning out of control. The boat docked.
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Stoic rounded all the sailors aboard up, "Ah need two men ta stay on the ship. Those men Captain Olaf will choose. The rest of ya grab yer weapons and shields. Be on yer guards those monsters could come back.
Sir Knight, the runt, h mean Lord Haddock will stay on the ship with my wife and Helga. Ah want ye and yer men ta come with me" said the Chief. Sir Arthur; "No, Daniel and Jacob will stay behind for Lord Haddock's protection."
Stoic just turned and left the ship. Sir Arthur gave out the instructions and he and Thomas hopped onto the dock. They both drew their swords and followed the Vikings up the Hill. Gothi ran past them with her bag of tricks.
Gobber waited for the Scotts, "It's a bad one, really bad. Yer not gonna like what ye see. Be ready fer anything."
At the top of the hill, they were met by seventeen shieldmaidens led by Aida.
"I'm glad yer back Chief, we've had a rough couple of days," said the shieldmaiden.
Stoic; "Give me the bad news starting with how many attacks were there?"
Aida; "Two Chief. They started two nights ago, the second yesterday morning at dawn.."
"How many dragons this time?" asked the Chief. Aida; Well over a hundred. There was a Night Fury this time."
Sir Arthur; "A Night Fury? I thought those were only legend."
Aida looked sternly at Sir Arthur, "That legend sank three of our ships and burned another. It hit the Great hall and destroyed it with people hiding inside."
"How many casualties are there?" asked Stoic.
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Sir Arthur looked around. The smell of fire and death was everywhere. He saw bodies, some burned others torn apart. Then he saw a dragon. It was a mixture of browns greens and yellows.
Gobber; "That's a Gronkle Sir Arthur. It Eats rocks, spews lava and can bite ya in half. Can't fly worth shit cause their wings are small. It will land and fight though. This one got killed by an ax to the head."
Sir Arthur couldn't believe what he was looking at. Dragons, the stuff of legends, right in front of him.
Aida; "I can only give you a rough casualty count my Chief. Many were trapped in their homes when the Night Fury attacked. He can't be seen in the darkness and the blast he sends totally destroys any structure it hits.
Also, there were so many people taken this time. At this time, we have lost four ships, 67 structures destroyed including the great hall and three of the storage barns totally destroyed.
67 people are confirmed dead, 22 warriors, 21 shieldmaidens, 3 men, 11 women, and 10 children. There are 12 wounded warriors, 4 shieldmaidens, 10 men, 18 women, and 23 children injured. The missing are 80 sailors, all-male, 2 shieldmaidens, 8 men, 5 women, two of which were pregnant, and 9 children for a total of 240 casualties, about 35% of our total population Chief."
Stoic, "gods, this is the worst attack in our history. What are we doing as of this moment?" asked the Chief.
Aida; Ah have sent out all of our remaining ships to the tribes in order to obtain help and supplies," said the Shieldmaiden.
Stoic; "Why isn't Gunnar Hofferson here and in charge?" asked the Chief.
"Sir Gunnar is among the wounded my Chief. The man personally killed three of the ten dragons downed but he was grabbed and then dropped by a Murderous Nightmare. He lives but he will never walk again" said the shieldmaiden.
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"What of the council?" asked the Chief.
Aida; "Sir Minar the Younger died when his ship exploded and went down. Duter Toverson was one of those taken and your brother-in-law has been burned. That only leaves Yon Ingerman, Toman Swenson and Gothi actively on the council my Chief."
Stoic; "Let's get these fires out and then we will start building temporary shelters. As usual, all the children and their mothers who are homeless will be divided amongst those families that still have homes. Aida how much grain, sheep, and Yaks do we have left?"
Aida; 152 sheep, 43 Yaks and about a third of the grain we had in storage."
Stoic looked at the ground and shook his head, "Ats no enough. We might get thru 2 months after the bay freezes over. Aida let's reorganize and prioritize. Sir Arthur. Ah need you to help me write a letter to King Fergus asking for permission to buy emergency supplies and to hire workmen. Can ye do that?" asked Stoic.
Sir Arthur; "Yes Chief, I can do that. Doing things like that is my job as an ambassador. Have you considered evacuating the women and children, Chief?" asked the knight.
Stoic; "You may not think much of me, or our Viking culture Scott, but these people are tough. Vikings do not run!".
Sir Arthur just shook his head and walked back to the ship to write that letter.
Queen Elinorhad invited Lady Yara to the castle. Merida was experimenting with the bond but because she was a child she didn't understand what was goin on inside the bond, she was only 17 months old. Elinor didn't understand either and she herself needed to know more about what her duties as their guardian should be. Lady Yara soon arrived and was quickly brought up to the Nursery escorted by one of the castle guards, where Maudie, Queen Elinor, and Princess Merida were playing.
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Guard; "Yer Majesty, Lady Yara".
The guard bowed and left the room. Merida had scooted over to her mother keeping a wary eye on the old healer. Elinor; "Thank you for coming lady
"Yara," said the queen as she motioned to a seat for lady Yara to sit down, along with Elinor and the nanny. Elinor started to speak but the old lady stopped her,
"My Queen, ye need me ta help Merida and yourself with the gifts of the joining. There hanno been a joining in a thousand years so Ah may be a little rusty," the witch looked at Merida, "Princess ye have no need to fear me. Ah am a friend and Ah come ta help ye reach oot to yer bondmate" said the old lady. (The witch had taken on a heavy Scottish accent to help the little girl feel at ease with her).
Merida brightened up and smiled, "Do you mean Hiccup lady Yara?"
Yara smiled and answered, "The very same and just call me Yara highness. The same for you ladies, just Yara."
Queen Elinor; "Would ye like some tea Yara? It arrived shortly before ye did," asked Elinor.
Yara; "At would be nice your grace, thank ye."
The old lady looked at Maudie and said, "Ask yer question nanny. The ane ye been thinking about since Ah arrived." Maudie;
"Are ye a witch?," asked the nanny.
The old lady smiled and took a sip of tea. "No, Ah am much more than a witch. Ah am sent here to watch over this sweet one by the gods. But fear not, Ah do not pursue evil."
She took another sip of tea then looked at Merida, "Princess would ye like to talk with Hiccup" the old witch asked.
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"Yes very much, Ah miss him very much!" replied the little princess.
Yara; "And he misses ye too young one. Ah want ye to close yer eyes and concentrate only on me words. Can you do that little one?" asked the old healer.
Merida nodded yes.
Yara; "Alright, close your eyes. Now reach out with yer left hand like ye are going to take the little princes hand." Merida did so. "Put yer other hand on yer heart and concentrate on Hiccup. Concentrate like e's right here.
Now call him with yer heart and yer mind" said Yara.
Merida concentrated very hard and she was beginning to see something.
"Hiccup, Hiccup it's me, Merida. Please talk to me." she fidgeted a little bit.
Yara; "Princess ye need to concentrate harder, think about nothing else except speaking to Hiccup."
Merida tried again. Like in a fog she could just make him out. Hiccup was sitting on a bed talking with a woman, but who was it? She concentrated even harder.
She saw who it was now, it was Lady Helga. Now she focused really hard on her bondmate,
"Hiccup, Hiccup, it's me, Merida, I'm here please talk to me". Suddenly, the Hiccup in her mind sat up and began to look around.
"Hiccup, it's me, Merida. Close your eyes and concentrate with your heart," she was smiling.
Yara looked at Elinor and Maudie and smiled, "The Princess sees the boy. E can hear her now and she is trying to tell im what to do".
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Elinor had a warm feeling within her, she could actually feel Merida's excitement.
Merida concentrated even harder blocking out everything. There was just Hiccup.
"Hickey, Ah'm here, Ah'm here. Ah can see ye. Please close your eyes and heart talk to me," she said and this time out loud."
Hiccup closed his eyes. He concentrated on the soft voice he'd thought he heard then He heard it again.
Merida; "Hickey Ah'm here, Ah'm here. Please close your eyes and heart talk to me," repeated the little redhead.
Hiccup closed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart and thought very hard, "Merida?"
Back in the nursery Princess Merida jumped up and down and clapped her hands, "Hickey it's me Ah can her ye, are ye alright? Where are y?".
Hiccup; "Hi Mer, I'm ok, I really miss you. I'm at the docks in Berk. The dragons came, everything on fire. Sir Arthur won't let me off the ship. He said that there is stuff out there I shouldn't see. I'm ok though. How are you? Is your mum, da and Maudie alright?"
Merida opened her eyes, "Hiccup, can ye still hear me, Ah've opened me eyes?"
Hiccup, "Yes Mer, I can hear you and I've opened my eyes too. Sir Arthur asks if the King or queen is with you?" asked the boy.
"Yes, Hic, mummies here," said the princess.
Hiccup paused then said, "Sir Arthur doesn't believe I'm talking to you and thinks I'm crazy. They were talking about a lot of people being hurt and that the dragons killed our food. They said there isn't enough for winter.
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Sir Arthur is writing a letter for father to the king. He won't let me read it but I know it says we need help. Please tell yer mummy fer me."
Merida looked at her mother, "Mummy Hickey says that Berk is on fire and a lot of people are hurt. E said the dragons did it. E said Sir Arthur thinks e's crazy and that Sir Arthur is writing a letter to the King which is Hickey's father asking for help," said the little girl.
Immediately Elinor stood, "Maudie, get the king NOW and bring him here." Elinor got on her knees in front of Merida, "Baby, ask Hiccup if e is in danger. It's very important".
Merida closed her eyes and concentrated, "Hickey mummy wants to know if ye are in danger. Ah want to know too!"
Yara came over and instructed the queen, place your hands on Merida's shoulders and concentrate very hard. Block everything else out," said the old lady.
Elinor did so, and both she and Merida concentrated on Hiccup.
"Mer are you still there? I can't hear you anymore," asked the little prince.
Elinor was shocked and amazed she could hear the boy. He sounded like he was in a tunnel but she could definitely hear him.
Merida, "Hickey Ah'm here. Mummy is too" said the little Princess.
Hiccup felt a warming sensation come over him. He suddenly felt safe he felt love.
"Mer, I think your mum is making me feel better. I don't feel as scared," said Hiccup.
Merida very excited, "Mummy, Hickey says he knows yer here cause he feels better. He was scared and now he's not," Merida said to her mother.
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Yara got a huge smile on her face. Elinor is truly the Guardian. Yara had to push this to see how much of a connection they had with each other. The King ran in, Elinor startle dropped her arms and Merida snapped her head to her father.
"Elinor, "what is all this about?" asked the King.
Yara; "My King, you must stay quiet so they can reconnect the bond.
Elinor: "She's right Fergus, please stay quiet and still fer a few minutes.
Back in Berk, Stoic had organized the survivors. They were now in the process of putting out the fires. The dead could wait. They could grieve them later. Right now it was his responsibility to get Berk back in order.
Everyone on Berk had lost someone, something or both. Gobber pissed him off most of the time, but his old friend had lost his father and his home. The damned creatures had taken his leg too.
Stoic absolutely hated the creatures and this raid proved how vulnerable humans were and that those creatures were from Helheim itself and needed to be exterminated. Right now he had a village to save.
"Gobber", the Chief called him over.
Gobber; "What do ye need Chief?" the blacksmith asked.
"What kind of shape is the forge in?" asked Stoic.
Gobber knew the Stoic in this mode. This was the friend he had grown up with. Brave, understanding, organized and helpful. Not the petty, jealous, mean spirited, vicious son of a sea snake he had seen earlier this year.
"It's still there and Ah can ha it up and running in an hour Stoic," said Gobber.
Stoic; "That's fantastic. Ah don't know what we need yet. We've got to get these damned fires put out. Ah want ye to know how sorry Ah am about
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Duter. Ah will want ye ta take his place on the council. Think about it" said the Chief.
As Stoic helped put out the fire on the Ingerman home he considered what Sir Arthur had said. Maybe it would be a good idea to get the women and children out. Not just the homeless, the widowed and infirm.
It would only be until they could get Berk up and running again. If they had the ships he would do it. He'd even evacuate that little runt son of his since the little bastard wasn't good for anything else.
Hiccup was very depressed. He was heart talking to Mer then she just quit. He was concentrating so hard his head was starting to hurt. He wanted off the ship. He didn't want to drown if the dragons came back. Why had they quit speaking to him? That hurt his feelings. He started to cry. He didn't understand this bond stuff but if this kind of stuff happened he didn't want to use it. He loved the queen and he adored Merida but he wasn't going to heart talk anymore, he'd just ignore it.
Merida; "Ah'm concentrating mummy. Ah can tell Hickey danna feel good but e doesn't hear me." cried the little princess.
Elinor gave Merida a hug, "Let's concentrate together shall we?" said the queen.
They closed their concentrated harder and harder Merida pleading with Hiccup to answer. When they were about to quit Elinor could start to see movement.
The queen could also sense hurt and despair. She could sense that Hiccup was in fact crying. She then saw a vision of a window, no a porthole, then saw the outside of the ship. She could see smoke, lots of smoke.
Yara; "Mah queen wha is it? Wha is happening?"
Merida; "Mummy, why is Hickey so sad and angry? Why can't Ah hear him anymore?"
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Yara was deep in thought. She had to put herself in Hiccup's shoes. Why would the boy suddenly…., then it hit her. Hiccup acted so mature all of the time it was hard to remember he was little more than a toddler.
Of course, when the King walked in, Merida and the Queen's concentration broke cutting off the bond. He was acting exactly a little boy would act if the people he loved quit paying attention to him.
Elinor; "Yara, Ah think Ah can see what Hiccup sees through his little eyes", said the queen.
Yara smiled, yet another gift. "My queen tell me exactly what you see.
Elinor; "Right now smoke and the ground, now a burned structure. Odin's beard, there's a dead dragon. Oh, mah poor sweet baby." cried the queen.
King Fergus, "Wha is it, Elinore?"
Elinor was crying with her eyes closed and her face showed revulsion.
"Bodies. Mah poor sweet little man is looking at dead people, probably is neighbors," said the queen.
Merida; "Mummy Hickey isn't mad e's very, very sad and scared," said the little princess.
Yara listened and thought. What would a baby do if he saw a dead person? He'd run away from it. Just like when he ran, he would run to someplace he thought safe.
Elinor watched in horror as Hiccup saw body after body. Then suddenly he turned and looked behind. There was a man, not just any man, it was the one man Hiccup hated and feared the most. Stoic the Vast. Hiccup turned and she could tell he was running.
"Mummy, Hiccup is soooo scared. He is so, so scared."
Elinor; "He's running from is father, who is right behind him. Ah see trees, lots of trees. E is running in different directions. E's stopped. E's looking
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behind. E can see Stoic but Stoic canno see im. Hiccup isn't moving, just watching. It seems ta be gettin dark where e is," said the queen.
Yara; "Princess, what does Hiccup feel right now?" asked the healer. Merida; "E's still scared but no as scared as e was. E feels safe."
Elinor; "E still hasn't moved. E peeked and saw Stoic run back towards the town into the smoke. Wait! E's running again. There's lots of smoke, it's hard ta see." said the queen.
Maudie; "That poor child, all alone in the forest. And such a wee babe too".
Merida, "Hickey is hardly scared now. His heart feels good now," said the princess.
Yara; "Hiccup knows where e is going. Ah fear yer majesty that Hiccup is using is baby logic right now. Hiccup's biggest fear is to be abandoned. E has been rejected by most of the people e knows.
When the bond was broken, is baby logic told im we had abandoned im too. Ye and Princess Merida are the most important people in is world right now. E is actin out of little boy anger and ats why Hiccup hasn't spoken.
E hears Merida and feels yer presence. When the bond was broken the boy thought the princess did it on purpose. That hurt is feelings. So what does a little boy do when a little girl hurts is feelings? He acts out.
At is what he was doing when he left the ship. But e's gotten more than e bargained for. E was kept on the ship to prevent im from seein the things e did. Then when e saw Stoic, e panicked. E danna understand at Stoic canno end is life without going to war.
To Hiccup, is da is worse than any dragon. Right now e knows where e is going. E's been there before. Ah sense he is going to be in great danger very soon.
Elinor; "Oh my gods, E's climbing up a cliff! We ha ta do something! E's going to be killed".
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Yara smiled; Ah don't think so. Unlike before, Lord Hiccup knows exactly wha e's doing. This is somethin e's good at. Princess, what is Hiccup feeling right now?"
Merida, "Hickeys ok, e feels...good. Tired but good. It's like e's having fun!" said the Princess.
"Mah queen relax and think, wha is young Hiccup really, really good at? The queen opened her eyes and so did Merida.
Elinor; "Hiccups hiding."