Finally! The moment we've all been waiting for! Hope you guys like it. Thank you for everyone who is reading, favoriting, reviewing, giving kudos, etc.!
"talking" – regular speech
'talking' - Merida "talking" through gestures and her eyes. Same with her family.
Talking - thinking
Disclaimer: I don't own Daughter of the Forest, The Six Swans, Brave, or How to Train Your Dragon
Chapter Four: The Viking Called Hiccup
Summer came to an end and Merida shivered as the air started to become colder. It has been four and a half months since she began her vow of silence, and she was not even a quarter done on the tapestry due to it needing to be a massive size. Escaping the piles of cloaks and the warm bears around her, she braced herself against the cool morning air, wincing. They would need more resources if there were going to survive the coming winter…
Unlike her family, who were getting more and more sluggish as the days went by as their bear bodies prepping for hibernation, her day began at dawn, where she would begin searching for nettle plant to harvest and then catch and cook breakfast for everyone. After breakfast, she settled against a tree and would turn the nettle plant into material she could use to sew, biting her lip to keep from crying out from the stinging pain as she studied her Norse, and it would be around this time her mother would join her for lessons, before the boys caught their lunch. Then she went back to sewing and learning, her mother reading along beside her before readying dinner and working on the tapestry until the fire died in the cave and she would be forced to sleep.
In the passing months, the family had learned to communicate through tone of bear speak, eyes, hands, and body language when they weren't human. It was frustrating at first, not being able to speak in their bear form and Merida unable to speak to them, but they were patient, and they made due with what they had.
When her family was human, Merida would listen to her mother pronounce Norse to her, correcting her when she translated wrong during listening exercises. Fergus would often groan during these times, still not all for Elinor and Merida learning Viking language, but Elinor would wave him off, often calling him endearments in Norse he couldn't understand, and he would scowl at her addressing him in Viking speak. Unlike her mother, Merida didn't bother learning Viking endearments, convinced she didn't need them, more focused on just learning the fundamentals to understand Norse properly in case Valka ever returned.
Merida stretched while traveling out of the cave hidden by the Firefalls where her and her family slept, her stomach growling. She wished they didn't always have to be stuck with fish, but they couldn't risk being found if they went too far into the forest to hunt. She missed using her bow, all her time now dedicated to harvesting the nettle plant, sewing it, and learning Viking speak. She missed the apples she would feast on in the castle every day, and the delicious tarts Maudie would make from the fruit. A feeling of homesickness filled her, and her shoulders slumped. She had hoped the tapestry would be easier to complete, but the challenge was more than she bargained for, as she wasn't as skilled with sewing like her mother. It was times like these that Merida wished she didn't always blow off princess lessons that taught her those skills.
She commenced climbing the falls, the sun beginning to peak over the horizon, coloring the falls a warm orange color. At the top of the falls was a nettle plant patch, and this was where Merida harvested most of her material. While the witch's hut also had nettle plant, Merida didn't want to make it a habit of venturing far away from her family too much if they needed her to defend them.
Reaching the top, Merida quickly set to work. The white-hot pain of the nettle plant was a familiar sensation now, its harmful prickles digging into her skin, causing her hands to maintain their swollen and puffy state. She couldn't honestly remember what her hands looked like before this ordeal and mourned the loss of her hands that were perfect for bowing.
Maybe it's better I haven't held my bow. I don't think I could keep a smile on my face if I found out I can't shoot an arrow anymore… Merida thought to herself, yanking roughly on one particular nettle plant that was giving her a hard time, biting her cheek to remain silent through the agonizing pain.
The young princess wiped sweat and dirt from her forehead, some of her fiery curls peaking out from the cloth she tied around her head to hide them. Wiping her hands on her apron, she packed up her nettle plant, starting her climb back down the cliffside to begin fishing for breakfast with a makeshift fishing rod she had crafted for herself, not wanting to waste arrows.
The sun's early light caressed her face gently, and the waterfall's mist pressed against her simple dress. Merida gazed at the falls mournfully, missing the fun she used to have with them. The redhead surveyed her distance from the bottom, and the urge to simply fall into the water's depths, to feel the exhilaration of flying through the air for just a moment once more, seized her.
Merida inhaled deeply, letting her shoulders relax, tossing her bag of nettle plant safely to the side of the lake, and pushed herself off the cliffside just like so many times before, and couldn't keep herself from grinning at the feeling of flying through the air. She held her arms out wide, and if she wasn't under her vow of silence, she would've whooped in delight as the air whipped against her.
Soon she was submerged beneath the bright waters of the lake. Here, the young princess imagined she was in another life far away from curses and nettle plant. She imagined herself as a selkie, searching for buried treasure in the depths of the ocean instead of a banished princess forced into a vow of silence. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a glowing wisp, giggling at her in the depths. Merida blinked, wondering what a wisp was doing underwear, and began to swim over to it.
However, the serenity of the moment ended when Merida felt herself being yanked to the surface, someone's arm around her waist in a tight hold as they emerged from the depths of the lake. Merida gasped, air entering her lungs, stupefied at what was happening.
"It's okay! I got you!" a male voice said, and Merida's eyes widened when she registered they were not speaking the Celts' language, but Viking speak. Her heart leapt into her throat and she whipped her head to face the man wearing a helmet and leather armor, a Viking crest on his shoulder. Panic entered her, and she began struggling immediately, startling the young man.
"H-Hey! It's okay! Just a little more to the shore!" the Viking tried to soothe her, but Merida wasn't having it. She beat against his chest rapidly, causing him to struggle more than he already was. "Ow! Calm down! I can't swim well!"
Good! Merida thought in satisfaction. They reached the shore and Merida separated from his hold quickly, putting some distance between them. She searched around for any kind of weapon to defend herself, and picked up a sharp rock, preparing to throw it at him.
Or she would have if a giant black beast appeared beside him, growling threateningly at her, daring her to even try attacking the Viking, and Merida had to use every ounce of her willpower not to scream. She stumbled backwards, her legs shaking at the sheer size of the monster.
"Woah! Woah! Toothless, easy bud!" The Viking hurried to stop the beast from hurting her. The beast, Toothless, gave the Viking a dubious look, but the Viking remained firm. "She's just scared, bud. She's harmless. Your kind isn't really sighted around these parts, remember?" the Viking tried to reason with Toothless, who was slowly lowering his stance from hostile to relaxed. The Viking turned to her, holding his hands in front of him. "Easy there. I swear we won't hurt you." He promised.
Merida gave him a look of suspicion, and the Viking discarded his sword, showing her he meant her no harm. She began relaxing her stance, but her eyes remained glinted with mistrust. She dropped the rock, making sure it was close in case she still needed it.
"Great. Are you okay? Toothless and I were flying when I saw you fall and I thought you were drowning so I dived in after you." The Viking explained, the winged contraption on his back folding into his armor. Merida stared at him in disbelief. The Viking saved her? She had a hard time believing that a random Viking would show a Scot kindness. The Viking stared at her, waiting for her to say something or react, but no sound came from her lips. He sighed, rubbing his helmet.
"Just my luck. I save a pretty girl and she doesn't understand a word I'm saying." He rolled his eyes under his helmet, while Merida blushed at the comment, and the Viking took at hand to remove the helmet. Merida's mouth dropped when she locked eyes with the same face she had admired in Valka's drawing.
I have to be dreamin'! It's Valka's son Hiccup! She gasped, eyes wide. The Viking, Hiccup, ruffled through his messy brown hair and gave her a shy smile.
"Um hi. You probably don't understand me." He spoke to her nervously. "I'm Hiccup." He pointed to himself, gesturing for her to say her name, but when she didn't speak, he felt more humiliated. "Right. Hiccup is probably a name you're not used to…" he had no idea of her vow of silence, and she wanted to laugh at the distressed look on his face, but held it in.
Merida continued to stare at him, wondering if she should put him out of his misery and let him know she could understand what he was saying, but before she could get the chance, she heard a chorus of roars behind her. Hiccup and Toothless tensed up, ready for battle, as her family came charging towards the intruder who they thought was going to attack Merida. Merida hurriedly stepped in front of Hiccup, holding her hands up to signal her family to cease their hunt.
'Stop! Stop! He's okay!' Merida conveyed to her family who skidded to a stop, seeing her protecting the young Viking. Toothless was tense and Hiccup placed Merida behind him, making Elinor and Fergus snarl at the Viking touching their child, but Merida quickly maneuvered between them again, this time facing Hiccup and Toothless with her hands in front of her, shaking her head rapidly.
'They are safe!' Merida tried to tell Hiccup, but unlike her family who has figured out what she says these days, Hiccup looked confused. Her family, knowing what Merida was trying to tell the Viking, sat down, showing the young man they were docile to help Merida's point along.
Hiccup blinked as Toothless's ears twitched, studying them. Toothless than copied their position by sitting down himself. However, Merida's family were still wary of the creature, but didn't make a move to attack. Merida patted her father on the shoulder, smiling at Hiccup.
'See? Friends.' She gestured.
"Errr right." He said, not really getting what she was saying completely, but had the gist of it. "Guess instead of dragons down here, they make friends with bears?" Hiccup guessed. Toothless shook his head, not sure as well. Merida titled her head, thinking. So that is what his beast was called…
Merida held out a hand to Hiccup to invite him closer, and Hiccup warily stepped closer as Toothless watched cautiously. She gently grasped his wrist and brought it to her mother's fur. Her father huffed, not liking the Viking so close to his family, but let Merida navigate the situation. Elinor stood perfectly still, letting the young man touch her. Hiccup noted the softness of the bear's fur, marveling how different it was from a dragon's scales. As Merida guided him with petting Elinor, Hiccup noticed the state of her hands.
The young princess gave a start when Valka's son grasped her hands, preparing to examine them. His grip was gentle, like he was afraid one wrong move and he'd break her.
"Are you okay? Here, let me see if I can help—" he stopped as he turned her palms facing up, his forest green eyes zeroing in on the mark branded on her skin. He hurriedly pulled her closer, studying the insignia.
"Where did you get this mark?" he questioned, his tone desperate. Her family started growling, but Toothless growled back, silencing them. Meanwhile, Hiccup grasped her hands together with his own, and Merida felt her mouth go dry. "Please! I need to know how you got this mark! It could lead to someone important to me!" he beseeched her. Merida softly left his grip, bringing her hands close to her chest. Hiccup sighed in dismay, the light in his eyes dimmed and his shoulders slumped. "You probably don't even understand what I'm saying, do you?"
A shout interrupted Merida before she could answer, and her heart leapt to her throat when she saw DunBroch soldiers entering the clearing, swords in hand.
"It's the Witch! We finally found her!" one of them cried, and Merida felt alarm, realizing the cloth to hide her hair was gone. It must've got loose when she fell from the falls. She was exposed. "Quick! Kill her before she sends her bears after us."
Fergus roared, hearing what they were intending to do, and raced as best as he could to defend his child. Elinor quickly followed to protect her husband and fight for her children. Hiccup, despite not understanding Scottish Gaelic, was quick to act and retrieve his sword, igniting it with flames. Merida watched the weapon in awe.
"Guess we're never welcome when we go somewhere new, ey Toothless?" Hiccup dryly stated, and Toothless the dragon gave a snort, rushing to defend his rider from soldiers.
The sound of bear cubs calling alerted Merida that her brothers were approaching, and she grinned excitedly when she saw they had retrieved her precious bow and arrows. Hamish, Harris, and Hubert grinned at their sister, knowing her wild spirit was ready to fight. A soldier chased her brothers, sword held high, and Merida quickly armed herself, readying an arrow to shoot. However, due to the state of her hands, her shots weren't as precise as she would have liked them.
The soldier cried out, her arrow piercing his shoulder rather than his jugular, but she took what she could get. Her brothers followed her example and attacked the soldier, removing his helmet and ripping his face to shreds with their claws. Merida grinned in victory, shooting another soldier to incapacitate them.
A deafening roar caused the blood to drain from her face as she saw her father was struck by a sword. Rage filled her, and she let an arrow fly right into the soldier's eye socket. She felt immense satisfaction as she watched the blood pour from his helmet, and through this distraction, she didn't see the soldier behind her, ready to slice her head off.
"Look out!" Hiccup cried, shielding her from the blow. Unfortunately, the soldier was quick and sliced a cut through Hiccup's leg. Hiccup's shout of pain alerted his dragon, who hissed in fury and spewed fire around them, scaring away the remaining soldiers and killing the one who attacked his rider. The soldiers fled, screams piercing the air as they retreated away from the fearsome beast. Hiccup stumbled, and Merida was quick to catch him, supporting his weight with her own. Toothless raced over to them, examining Hiccup's injury with concern. Hiccup, seeing Toothless's worry, was quick to reassure him.
"I'm okay, Toothless. You know it takes more than that to get rid of me..." Hiccup chuckled weakly. Merida led him to a rock where she set him down, taking off her apron to tie the wound. Toothless would not leave his side, and Merida marveled at how loyal the dragon was to Hiccup. However, she was brought from her musings when she heard the groaning of pain from her father and rushed over to assist him.
Elinor and her brothers were by Fergus's side, trying to comfort him and to get him to stay awake while Merida tore her dress to press against the gash in his side, tears in her eyes. Fergus rushed to console her, nuzzling her, knowing she was blaming herself for his injury. The young princess sniffled, biting her lip to keep from sobbing apologies and regrets she couldn't change.
Her mother nudged her, looking into her eyes.
'We cannot stay here.' She conveyed to her child, and Merida nodded, knowing that the peace in what has become their new home was over. The redhead chanced a look at the lake, knowing she could not pursue the wisp now when time was of the essence. Her knees were filthy from the dirt and she didn't bother trying to clean them as she rose from her kneeling position beside her father. Merida chanced a glance over to the Viking and his dragon, and knew if she left them, she would be condemning them to death when the soldiers would return with more forces.
Merida gazed down at the mark she had from Valka's necklace. The real trinket was safely tucked in Merida's bag, safe from prying eyes able to identify her with it. She remembered Valka and her affection and respect for her son and knew she couldn't leave Valka's offspring to die. Merida cursed her weakness and hoped sparing the young man would not lead to betrayal of her family like last time.
Toothless narrowed his eyes as Merida came closer, placing a barrier between her and Hiccup. Merida held up her hands in surrender, trying to show the dragon she meant no harm. The dragon still watched her suspiciously, and Merida dropped her bow to placate the beast. Toothless's pupils expanded, and he crept towards her slowly. The princess held out her hand, allowing Toothless to sniff her.
The dragon appeared satisfied, moving aside to let her near Hiccup, and she crouched on her knees, placing a hand on his cheek. Hiccup opened his eyes sluggishly, and Merida noted with alarm he seemed to be fading a bit. Hiccup reached up, grasping her hand, an anchor to keep him awake.
"I don't suppose you know if those blades were covered in poison, do you?" he asked weakly. Merida examined his leg and found the skin around it to be purple and veins appearing, wincing. It was here she noticed he was missing a leg like her father, the substitute being made of metal unlike her father's who owned a wooden leg. She bit her lip, switching her gaze to her father, who also appeared to be sluggish. They needed an antidote and fast.
Her brothers and her quickly gathered her things, Hiccup's helmet, and their clothes, stuffing them in her bag. She wore her bow and arrows over her shoulder and swiftly went to Hiccup to support him with Toothless assisting. Toothless seemed reluctant but he let Merida and Elinor put Fergus on his back. Her brothers climbed abroad the dragon as well to keep their father on the beast's back while Elinor and Merida placed Hiccup on hers with Merida holding onto to him to make sure he didn't fall. She gave one last glance at the falls mournfully before they trekked away. Merida led the way to the Witch's woodcarver shop, hoping that the Witch would have an antidote.
Hiccup and Fergus were constantly in and out of consciousness as all the uninjured parties tried as fast as possible to get to their destination. Merida gestured the direction for them to go and eventually they came across the Witch's woodcarver shop. Merida gripped her mother's fur tight, praying the Witch was in her hut.
Arriving, Merida slid off Elinor and made sure Hiccup was secure before racing towards the door. She knocked loudly with a hurried pace, desperate for the Witch to answer. The Witch opened her door, irritation on her face, her crow on her shoulder mirroring her expression while her broom prepared to shoo the annoying knocker away. Nonetheless, when she saw it was Merida, her irritation vanished.
"Ah, Lass! I haven't expected ye to be back for a while. Did ye run out of nettle plant?" the Witch questioned. Merida stepped aside to allow the Witch to see Toothless, Hiccup, and her family and the Witch's eyes widened. She surveyed the situation before sighing in dismay.
"Come inside. I'll take a look at them, BUT—" she stressed, wagging a finger in Merida's face, "This will be the one time I help ye for free since ye haven't come back to complain about my services." The Witch told her. Merida nodded, and ushered Toothless and Elinor to come closer. The Witch yelped. "Oi! I don't have room for them all! The boy and the injured bear can come inside but they must stay out here!" she ordered gesturing to Toothless, Elinor, and the boys. Toothless looked displeased as well as her family, but they obliged by helping Fergus and Hiccup inside. Fergus was laid by the fireplace while Hiccup was laid on a couch, the Witch clicking her tongue in thought as she shook her head, surveying their wounds.
"Gothel must be getting' desperate to coat weapons with poison. Luckily she doesn't know about me helping ye." The Witch commented as she poked at Hiccup's wound. The boy hissed, being startled from his unconscious state.
"Toothless, when did you become an old woman?" he groaned before falling back into unconsciousness. The Witch cackled as Merida fretted. The Witch patted her shoulder.
"Relax! He's just delirious. Even when I give them the antidote they'll be like this all night." The Witch reassured her. Merida's posture sagged in relief. She then glanced at the Witch.
'Can Gothel find us?' Merida asked. The Witch shook her head.
"There's a protection barrier around the area. Yer safe here, Princess." The Witch assured her. Merida gaped.
'Can ye understand me?' she pointed to herself. The Witch chuckled and patted her shoulder again.
"It takes a lot of practice. I'd say yer family is getting the hang of it, and the boy will eventually start to get it if he takes the time." She told Merida.
'I don't think he'll be around us much longer to get that far.' Merida gestured. The Witch gave her a wink.
"Ye never now, Lass. Life works in funny ways." The Witch grinned. Merida rolled her eyes and went to tend to her father as the Witch began mixing the antidote. "I'd say ye all rest here for the night, so they can get some rest. Mind catching us some dinner, Lass?" the Witch asked, and Merida gripped her bow tight, nodding. She exited the hut and approached her family and Toothless, who have made themselves comfortable. However, on closer inspection, she could see all of them are worried and cautious of each other.
'They're fine. Gettin' fixed up. We'll stay for the night.' Merida told her family. The bears grumbled in relief and she turned to Toothless, fidgeting. She settled for petting his nose gently, hoping he could understand her like her family. 'He's safe.' Her eyes tried to translate, and Toothless seemed to have understood, for he nudged her in thanks, grunting. Satisfied, Merida then began her search for game for dinner to feed them all. She wondered what dragons ate. Did they prefer a certain type of food? How much did they eat exactly? Merida fretted about portions and hoped she was able to catch enough to satisfy Toothless and her family, whose appetites were increasing every day to prepare themselves for winter.
Merida jumped when she heard a twig snapped, twisting around with her bow ready to find Toothless innocently starting back at her. His eyes were curious, and his ears twitched in a quizzical manner. Merida sighed, lowering her bow.
'Stay there. Don't follow' she ordered. Merida started walking again, but soon heard Toothless's steps behind her. She whipped her head around, eyes narrowing, as Toothless acted innocent. She pointed to the ground, stamping her foot. 'No! Stay there!'
When she heard steps again behind her, she gripped her hair in frustration, turning to glare at the dragon, who either couldn't understand her or can and is choosing to ignore her.
Either way, it seems she was stuck with him and sighed, waving him to follow. Toothless bounded after her happily, making the ground shake a bit. She held up a finger to her lips to intend he be silent, and Toothless looked guilty, trying to tip toe so he didn't scare away prey.
Fortunately for her, her hands weren't too damaged yet to make a bad shot, and she was able to kill seven rabbits, and with Toothless's help, she was able to ensnare a deer. She gave the dragon scratches in thanks, and he showed her he liked being scratched under the chin. Toothless gave off a delighted purr which Merida found utterly precious.
He's like a big dog! Merida thought giddy this fearsome beast was letting his guard down with her. She tied the game to Toothless's saddle and began to make her way back to the hut. However, Toothless pulled her back with his mouth. Merida flailed a little, stumbling before steadying herself, giving the dragon a glare. Toothless whined, gesturing to the game on his back and stared at her again. Merida blinked and Toothless stuck out his tongue, making a disgusted face.
Oh…
Don't tell me he is a picky eater… Merida groaned, gesturing for Toothless to show her what he wanted. The dragon bounced, happy she understood and raced towards where he wanted food. As the familiar surroundings registered, Merida face palmed. Of course, he wants fish. I'm never going to escape it!
They peaked over the cliffside to Firefalls and found soldiers were camped there now, and Merida wanted to yank at her hair. She should've known Gothel would send DunBroch soldiers to where they've last seen Merida in case she came back. She gave Toothless a waspish glare, who gave her a grin, his tongue sticking out, and Merida refused to let his cuteness deter her annoyance. The princess turned back to observing the soldiers, seeing a basket of fish they caught to feed a small party, trying to convey to Toothless as she 'talked'.
'Fish over there. Need distraction.' Toothless merely blinked at her and Merida banged her head against a rock tiredly. It seems he didn't understand what she was saying after all and she was just getting lucky…
A fireball whooshed past her head, nearly scorching her locks, and crashed into a pile of trees in the distance. The soldiers sprung up, hurrying to examine where the blast landed, leaving their camp unattended. Merida turned wide eyes to Toothless who merely gave her a smug look. She bit her lip to keep from laughing, but a giant grin did bloom on her face, and the two raced to steal the basket of fish before the soldiers came back.
Once safe again, Merida urged Toothless to follow her back to the Witch's hut while she carried the basket. Toothless tried sneaking some fish but she dodged him every time, wagging a finger and grinning at the mischievous dragon. Toothless merely trotted after her eagerly, not deterred by their 'playing'. They successfully reached the Witch's shop, and Merida immediately set down the basket so Toothless could eat while retrieving the game from his back. Her mother and brothers perked up, glad to see her, but were distrustful of the dragon eating beside her. She made sure to reassure them.
'He won't hurt us.' Merida promised as Toothless was gulping down fish. Elinor looked doubtful, but Merida scratched Toothless's chin, and the creature purred at her attention. That seemed to have placated Elinor, and Hamish, Harris, and Hubert raced over to interact with the dragon in excitement. Elinor called out a warning, but the boys ignored her. Toothless, finished with his meal, seemed to find them fascinating as well now that they were confirmed harmless, and sniffed them before rolling onto his back, letting the boys climb all over him.
Merida gestured for her mother to wait for her food while she cooked for them and entered the Witch's house. The Witch glanced up, seeing Merida return with fresh meat and cackled gleefully, clapping her hands together pleased.
"I knew ye would catch something tasty, lass! I'm almost done with the antidote. Ye can start on dinner over there." She pointed to a table and Merida was glad her father taught her hunting despite her mother's protests for she was able to skin and prepare the rabbits and deer with ease.
Soon, the witch was administering the antidote to Fergus and Hiccup, and color slowly started to return to Hiccup's face. Merida sighed in relief, glad Valka would have a son to return to, and went to check on her father. Her father had glazed over eyes, and upon seeing her, licked her face, slobber dripping down her cheek. Fergus made happy noises like he was giggling, and then plopped back asleep. Merida blinked as the Witch laughed.
"Don't worry, lass! Like I said, they'll be delirious all night!" the Witch reminded her. "Now please tell me ye caught some good ol' rabbit!" the Witch changed the subject towards dinner with eagerness in her tone. Merida smiled and went back to cooking the meat over the fire, nodding. The Witch cheered. "It's been so long since I've had rabbit! This bird knows nothing about huntin'" she jabbed a thumb at her crow who looked offended.
"Excuse me for being a scavenger bird instead of a hunting bird." The crow grumbled, flying away from her shoulder to his perch. Merida listened as the Witch and her bird bantered back and forth, falling into a sense of serenity. She pushed away thoughts of worrying about what was their next move and instead focused on making a nice dinner for her family and the Witch who was sheltering them. Once finished making dinner, she cut up portions for her family before herself and the Witch ate. The Witch's crow sung happily when he was able to feast on his meal and the Witch rolled her eyes at his dramatic behavior. She observed Merida constantly checking on Hiccup and her father and grinned, "So ye've found yerself a nice man, lass?"
Merida jumped at the Witch's question, shaking her head rapidly to deny her.
'He saved me from soldiers. Couldn't leave him there.' Merida eyed the Witch. The Witch shrugged.
"Not many Scots would save a Viking. Though since he saved ye I can understand repaying a life debt. We Scots are honorable after all." The Witch sipped some tea. "A Scotsman is strong and shows no fear." She recited the phrase of their people.
'I hope after this he can be on his way.' Merida was eager to get rid of him. She did not want to drag him or Toothless into her problems. Just look at what happened to him today when the soldiers came…
No. It was better to go their separate ways.
But what about his mother? Her conscious chimed in. She glanced at her bag where the dragon necklace was and remembered how he begged her to tell him about his mother when he saw her burn mark. She imagined her in his place, having no idea where her mother and father were and desperately searching for them. A wave of guilt settled in her chest.
"I'm sure everything will be fine." The Witch interrupted her thoughts, patting her hand. Merida glanced at Hiccup once more before turning back to the Witch and nodded, smiling weakly. "Now ye can sleep here tonight. I'll be upstairs if ye need me." The Witch bid her good night. Merida cleaned up the plates and settled in front of where Hiccup and Fergus were by the fireplace. She leaned against a pole, taking out the nettle plant she had harvested that morning and began to work on turning it into fabric for sewing the tapestry. Eventually, the sound of Hiccup's steady breathing and Fergus's snoring slowly lulled her to sleep.
"Mom?!"
Merida woke with a start, glancing over to Hiccup who was looking at her with eyes glazed over. Her eyes widened, as he had a smile on his face as he looked at her.
He thinks I'm Valka… Merida realized, crawling closer to him to feel his temperature. Hiccup startled her when he pulled her to him, hugging her tight. Merida blushed, having never been in close proximity with a man who wasn't related to her. She tried to ignore the pounding of her heart by focusing on his delirious speech.
"I can't believe I found you, Mom! Dad and I were so worried when you didn't come back! We told you, you should've taken your dragon with you." He scolded her as he held her.
There's more dragons?! Merida's eyes were wide. She tried to imagine tons of Toothlesses running around, gorging on fish, and constantly wanting chin scratches. She had the urge to ask him to tell her more about all the dragons he's seen, but he kept going.
"I'm so glad you can come home with me, Mom. Dad has been pressuring me to take over as chief. I don't get why he's been pushing for me to be chief so bad. He's still young. He just seems to think me and Astrid are ready to start leading the tribe for some reason…"
Who's Astrid? Merida thought blinking. Hiccup pulled back from her, caressing her cheek, seeing the phantom of his mother haunting him instead of the princess.
"I don't know, Mom. I know you told me you want me to marry for love like you and dad, but I've always been engaged to Astrid. The village seems to think it's a good match… maybe I'm just overthinking things. Astrid and I are good friends…"
Merida felt this was getting more personal than she should be privy to—especially since he was not lucid. With the way he was going, he was going to spew all his private thoughts to a stranger who he thought was his missing mother.
Deciding to put him out of his misery, Merida yanked her fist back and socked him straight in the head. Hiccup slumped back into unconsciousness, dreaming of his long-lost mother and all the things he wanted to tell her.
There you go! Please let me know what you guys think!
Replies to Reviews:
Jenchen.H - oh I didn't even know about thistle! That's a good point. And thank you for reviewing even if you don't like Mericcup.
