They flew for hours, visited every place Hiccup could think of, tried getting her to bond to countless dragons, but none of them were right. Merida never felt a connection with them. Which led them to where they were now, flying aimlessly through the sky. They had been flying for most of the day, and it seemed Merida was losing hope. Hiccup looked around him, suddenly realizing that they had broken through a thick wall of dark clouds.
"A'm not sayin' tha' A'm never gonna find a dragon, but A'm never gonna find a dragon." Merida sighed, leaning back on her elbows.
"Don't say that Merida. There's a dragon for everyone. It just takes time."
"How long did et take fer yah and Toothless ta bond?"
"That's not important. Everyone's different. A saved him, remember."
"After yah tried ta kill him." Merida muttered under her breath. Hiccup didn't look at Merida, or even reply because he realized where they were. The new islands lay beneath them, and they were quickly approaching to Island of the Death Song.
"We're going back. Maybe stop in on our moms, try there again."
"Hiccup, we were there fer hours! A really don' think tha' there's a dragon fer me..." Merida found interest in one of her curls as Hiccup tried to pull Toothless back the way they came, but the Night Fury had other ideas.
"Bud, we need to go this way. Let's go back home. Toothless, no!" Hiccup struggled with the dragon, but Toothless wasn't changing direction. They were gaining speed, heading straight to the blooming island. As they got closer the two could hear the call of a dragon drifting through the wind.
"Hiccup, what is tha'?"
"It's a dragon called the Death Song. It lures in dragons with its song and then traps them in amber before it eats them. It's not trainable." Hiccup said, memories playing in his mind.
They landed inside a maze of high cliffs covered in moss and vines. Once Toothless landed Hiccup pulled Merida off the saddle and ducked behind a nearby pillar.
"Hiccup, what are yah doin'? Why would yah leave Toothless out there if the dragon wants ta eat him?"
"Because I can get Toothless out of there, I can't worry about him and you being in trouble." Merida chewed her lip as she watched Toothless from around the corner, worry written on her face. Toothless sat in the center of the crevasse, staring at the skies. A shadow was cast over Toothless, blocking the sun from view. A shriek vibrated off the stones around them, causing Toothless to cock his head to the side. A large dragon landed on top of a cliff, towering over the Night Fury. Merida looked in astonishment at the dragon. It was beautiful.
Its body was a vivid canary color that faded into amber. Small, turquois, wave like patterns lined the edges of its wings and the tips of its wings matched. One each wing there were two patterns that looked like eyes, reminding Merida of the butterflies that filled the woods around her home. Sky blue frills fanned out from each side of its neck. Its small arms were held tightly to its body. Horns ran between its wings, and two horns stuck out on either side of its head with a large horn completing the arch of its nose. It had long thin body, and large back legs to match its teeth. It looked down at Toothless and screamed. A sticky amber glob shot through the air and encased the small dragon. Toothless was send flying into the pillar the two were hiding behind. Merida gasped and buried her face in her hands, trying not to give away their hiding spot.
"What is it doing? Why isn't it leaving?" Panic rose in Hiccup's voice. He ran from one pillar to the next. He disappeared behind the next pillar, darting around to try and make a distraction. He threw a rock at the Death Song, causing the dragon to snap its head around to find where it was coming from. Merida peered around the pillar, only to see that Toothless was the only dragon there. Dread filled her heart as she realized that Toothless was the main course. Panic wrapped her brain, and she sent out a prayer that Hiccup knew what he was doing when a familiar voice broke through her fear.
"Woah now. I bet that you remember me, I know I remember you. But I'm just gonna-" the dragon screeched, cutting Hiccup short, "or not. That works too." Merida looked around the side of her hiding spot to see that Hiccup was being cornered by the large dragon. Something inside Merida bubbled inside of her, something that she hadn't felt since the day that her father tried to behead her mother.
Merida darted from her hidng spot.
"Merida! What are you doing? Go hide!" Hiccup's pleas fell on deaf ears as Merida wedged herself between the dragon and the young man. The dragon roared, and Merida yelled back. The Death Song staggered, and Merida took advantage of the dragons surprise and kept going.
"What dae yah think yer doin'?" The dragon lunged forward, teeth glittering.
"Merida!" The princess did the only thing she could think of.
She stuck out her hand, palms to the dragon, eyes fierce. The Death Song stopped, looking at Merida's hand in contemplation before it closed its eyes and slowly placed its snout in her hand. Merida grinned back at Hiccup, who was looking at her with astonishment. Not even he could train a Death Song.
As Merida crooned over the dragon, Hiccup watched with steely eyes as he carefully made his way to Toothless. The dragon let out a low growl, which gifted it a thump between the eyes.
"We dae no' growl at friends. We dae no' eat them either!" Merida narrowed her eyes at the dragon who responded with a huff of smoke.
Hiccup light the amber around Toothless on fire, releasing him from the sticky mess. The now un-incarcerated Night Fury jumped up and tentatively made his way to the Death Song. The two dragons slowly circled each other warily. The Death Song whined and fell to the ground and Toothless rolled his eyes and sauntered back to Hiccup.
Hiccup smiled at Merida, still astonished that she bonded with a dragon, a dragon that even he couldn't bond with, by herself. Hiccup slowly made his way to Merida's side.
"How do you do it?" Merida's head snapped to him.
"Dae wha'?"
"Bond with a dragon, this one in particular, so easily?"
"Sometimes yah need ta assert yer dominance. Et's kinda' like trainin' dogs with mah da'." Hiccup nodded.
"Well, are you ready to start training your dragon?" Merida's eyes grew round. "I mean, you have to get home somehow." Hiccup winked at the Scott who was jumping in circles, too excited to stand still.
Valka and Elinor scanned the skies, their children had left a long time ago and it was well past nightfall.
"Don' worry Elinor, Hiccup is an excellent flier. He's had year of practice. They'll be fine." Val placed a supportive hand on Elinor's shoulder. The former queen lay her hand on her friends.
"A know. They're both capable adults. But A'm still worried…" Elinor sighed and turned her attention back to the dark skies.
Val smiled as she saw the familiar glimmer of Hiccup's prosthetic in the moonlight.
"Elinor, Elinor look! They're here!" Elinor let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding as the silhouette of two dragons appeared on the moon. When they landed, the mothers ran to them, one to their only daughter, the other to a new dragon.
"What a warm welcome for your only child."
"Oh hush. A knew yah'd be fine." Val said as she inspected the dragon.
"What kind of dragon is this?" Val asked, eyes shining.
"A Death Song? Your dragon is a Death Song?" Fishlegs asked in shock at training the next morning.
"Aye, an' her name is Cyhiraeth.*"
"That's… one hell of a name." Astrid said, playfully taunting the Scott.
"Fer one hell of a dragon."
"What does it mean?" Fishlegs asked, tapping his fingers together, a tick he has when he's excited, or nervous.
"Legend has et that in the Scottish woods a spirit lurks. She lets out a wail, sometimes luring unsuspectin' victims inta the thick bush. They'd follow the cries deep inta the forest, only ta get lost, fer after a while everythin' looked the same. When the victim got close, the cries stopped. Confused, the person would keep walkin'." A silence fell on the arena as Merida's voice echoed off the stone walls. Everyone was entranced with the legend she was weaving.
"They'd keep walkin' and walkin', never really gettin' anywhere. They would walk in circles, until their legs gave out. Then they'd crawl, until they couldn't keep their weight up. The woods has a way of distorin' time too. What they thought were minutes, were actually days. They wouldn't eat, or sleep, or stop, until et was too late. As they lat their head down fer their final rest on the mortal plane, a scream would sound through the woods, right before they slipped inta the next realm, never ta open their eyes again. So, the name kinda fits her, with that song an' all." The silence lasted for a few minutes before a voice broke it.
"B-" Fishlegs cleared his throat, "but that's just a legend, right Merida?"
"Aye Fishlegs, but legends ring with thruths." Merida said, eyes shining with memories, a small smile on her face before training continued.
After everyone left the arena, Hiccup stopped Merida at the gates.
"I want to do some basic training and learning with Cyhiraeth." Merida pursed her lips, it was noon, lunch was in the Great Hall, and she'd been up since dawn.
"I'll make you a special lunch." Hiccup said, and that was all it took for Merida to walk back into the arena.
"Alright, we're going to test her flight first, okay?" Merida nodded as Hiccup prepped Cyhiraeth. As Hiccup put the Death Song through tests, he'd scribble into one of his journals.
'*Speed-17
*Armor-16
*Venom-0
*Stealth-'
Hiccup looked at the bright yellow dragon trying to hide in the brush they'd brought in.
'0'
Be gave her things to bite down on, each one a different level.
'*Jaw strength-10'
Hiccup would throw things into the air for her to shoot.
'*Shot limit-8
*Fire power-13
*Fire type- Amber-like substance
*Habitat- not clear
*Trainable-'
Hiccup scribbled out the 'no' he originally put down and replaced it with a sloppy 'yes'. Now it was time for the final test. Hiccup opened a barrel and stuck his hand in slowly pulling out the contents. In his hand was a very dead, half rotten eel. Cyhiraeth cocked her head to the side. Hiccup slowly stepped to the large dragon as he held out his hand. Cyhiraeth hopped forward on her hind legs, chirping like a bird, and cocking her head from side to side. Hiccup got closer, but the dragon didn't back off. Hiccup threw the eel in the air and she slurped it down.
"Wha' was tha' fer?" Merida asked, arms across her chest, confusion on her face.
"Most dragons don't like eels. It's always good to know which ones do and don't, just in case. It can get you out of some pretty sticky situations." Merida nodded her head and stored the information in the back of her mind for later.
"Now can we eat?" Merida asked, eyes glittering as her stomach let out an unnaturally human sound. Hiccup smiled and nodded.
"Yes, you baby, we can eat now." Merida grinned and made her way to Cyhiraeth. Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder and looked at her.
"Let her explore. I've got a place in mind." Merida looked between her dragon and Hiccup for a few seconds before deciding that it wouldn't be too bad to let Cyhiraeth explore with Toothless for a while. Merida took Hiccups hand and smiled.
"Lead the way."
Hiccup pulled Merida across the village, stopping at his house. He made her wait outside while he filled a basket with things he believed that he needed. He tied a blindfold around her eyes and pulled her everywhere. She knew he was leading her through a million places to try and keep her from knowing where they were, but when her feet began to sink into the ground she shook her head, knowing instantly they were at the beach. Hiccup stopped, dropping Merida's hand.
"Just, stand there, okay?" Merida nodded her head and crossed her arms. Hiccup was gone for about seven minutes before he came back to Merida. He unwrapped the blindfold and Merida snorted.
Laid out in front of her was a picnic. A blanket was splayed on the ground, and a fire was crackling in front of them, fish on a rotisserie spit cooking. There were flowers in the middle of the blanket, and two plates were sat on either side of the basket, which held their drink and cups.
"What? You don't like it?"
"No, no. Hiccup, A love et. Et's just, not what A expected." Merida placed a kiss on his cheek. "Et's sweet, et really is. A'm sorry that A laughed." Hiccup smiled.
"I probably would have laughed too." Merida punched him in the arm and sat down on the blanket.
"Rude." She grinned up at him and he smirked down at her.
"Me?" He plopped down lazily. "Never."
"Oh, oh, oh," Merida laughed out, "okay, whatever yah say."
The two enjoyed their lunch, talking and joking with each other. But the moment was ruined when something caught Hiccup's attention in the distance. He rose to his feet slowly and Merida looked at him confused.
"Wha' is et Hiccup?"
"Merida, I want you to go get your brothers and tell my mother to get the village to the safe zone."
"What? Hiccup, I don't understand."
"Merida, we don't have time to argue, just go. Run!" Hiccup hoisted her up and pushed her off. Merida did what she was told, her hair whipping behind her as she made her way up the cliff to the village.
"Val! Val!" Merida ran through the village calling for the matron of Berk. Gobber stopped her, taking ahold of her shoulders.
"Where yah goin' lassie? Yah look in a hurry!"
"GOBBER! Yah have ta get the village to the safe zone."
"What? The safe zone is only used when-"
"Hiccup said ta do et! There's somethin' commin' fer Berk!" Gobber closed his mouth and hobbled to his shop. He kicked his dragon, Grump, as he mumbled to him. The dragon sputtered as he rose to his feet. Gobber shuffled around him and blew into a horn that bounced off each house, causing the villagers to leave their homes. They shuffled towards a pair of large double doors that were on the side of a man made cliff.
"What is that?" Merida asked looking at the doors.
"Stoick had et made a while ago fer when things got too hairy, either with dragons or with other nations. We hollowed out the stone ta lead all the way down ta the beaches on the other side of the island. There are some boats and rations for the people. And of course there's enough room for the dragons now too. Come on lassie, time ta get down there."
"But A don't know where mah family is! A can't leave them up here."
"I understand that, but we have ta get down there, that's an order." He picked up Merida and threw her over his shoulder. She hit his back, and kicked his shoulders.
"Gobber! Gobber, put me down! Put me down this instant!"
"Can't do tha' Princess. If I did that, Hiccup would never forgive me." Merida groaned and gave up her struggle, laying limp in Gobber's arms. He shifted uneasily.
"Are yah okay?" Merida didn't reply. "Lassie?" Still nothing. "Damn et, not again!" He took Merida off his shoulder and set her down, where she promptly jumped up and ran off, knowing Gobber stood no chance at catching her.
Hiccup stood at the edge of the waters, watching the ship come in. He had called Toothless the second that Merida had disappeared in the village. She was safe, and that's all that mattered right now. The first thing that he saw when the ship came closer was the flag. The outcast flag. And there were only two people who flew that flag in these waters. He pulled out his telescope to get a better look. His heart clenched and his breathing got shallow. He gripped the telescope in frustration. He shouldn't be here.
"Dagur." He growled out, shutting the telescope a little too hard, earning him a pointed look from Toothless, who no doubt already knew who was on his way.
"You ready bud?" Hiccup sighed out. Toothless gave a soft screech in reply, the frills on his back standing on end. "Me too."
"Hiccup!" The man turned around and saw an all too familiar glint of red hair bouncing toward him.
"Damn it Gobber!" Hiccup looked between the approaching boat, to Merida. He turned and ran to the young woman.
"You're supposed to be with the village!"
"A can't leave yah here by yerself!"
"Yes you can!" He turned back to the boat and groaned, throwing his hands in the air. There was no way he was getting her to the village in time, not even on Toothless.
"Alright. Come with me. But stay where I tell you. Do not come out. Do not say anything. Stay. Still. Merida. This is serious." Hiccup's eyes burned into hers, and she'd never seen such animosity in his eyes before.
"O-okay." Merida said, taking his hand hesitantly.
'Wha' have A gotten mahself inta this time?' She thought as Hiccup hid her behind Toothless.
"I swear, Merida, you need to stay here." Merida nodded and Hiccup returned to his spot at the edge of the shore.
About ten minutes passed before the boat landed on the shores. Toothless backed a little closer to Merida, making sure she was out of sight. A long board fell from the boat and a man, not much taller than Hiccup, strutted down. He had a shaggy, dark brown beard and blue paint across his eye that looked as if he was slashed in the face by a claw. He was pretty beefy, but Merida couldn't tell if that was muscle or not. He wore a silver helmet with two wicked horns pointing to the sky and a full chest of armor. He approached Hiccup and smiled.
"Hiccup! Nice to see you! Didn't expect to see you here!"
"Dagur, this is Berk. I live here. I'm chief. What do you want?" Hiccup deadpanned.
"Oh nothing! Just stopping by my new neighbor! Thought I'd let you know that you're going to be seeing a lot more of me."
"What are you talking about Dagur?"
"Oh, just that I've recently, came across some new land that was in need of claiming."
"And where is this land?" Hiccup asked.
"Not far, just Scotland. I heard that something nasty happened to a kingdom there. What a shame." A sick smirk twisted his features and the gears in Hiccups head aligned.
"Dagur, you need to go."
"Or what? Your Night Fury will blast my ship to pieces? But then you'd be stuck with me here. And I know you really don't want that, do you Hiccup?"
"Dagur, get on your ship, and leave."
"Is that any way to talk to the new king of Dunbroch?" And in that moment, Hiccup knew that hiding Merida was a lost cause. She shot out from behind the dragon, instantly at Hiccup's side. She pulled out his sword, knocked Dagur to the ground and pinned him down.
"Wha' did yah say?" Anger burned in her eyes as Merida met the man who destroyed her home.
"Were you a villager? I heard that some of them made it out. What a shame." A wicked smile spread across his face and Merida ignited Hiccup's sword, the flames inches from Dagur's skin. He could feel the heat become uncomfortable.
"Actually-" Hiccup started, but Merida gave him a glare that made him close his mouth.
"Mah name, is Merida. Merida DunBroch. First born ta Queen Elinor, and King Fergus. Heir ta the throne of Dunbroch." The smile fell from Dagur's face.
"That, that's not possible! I was told that-"
"YOU WERE WRONG!" Merida screamed in his face. Dagur scrambled from Merida, trying to get back to his ship, but Toothless jumped in front of him. He turned and was face to face with a very angry Merida. She raised the sword, attempting to slash at the man, but Hiccup swiped it from her before she could swing it.
"You're right Dagur, I don't want you here. But if you really want to stay here with her, her mother, and three brothers, I suggest that you leave. Now. And don't try going back to Dunbroch. We'll be there. And you will not leave. Bud, please?" Toothless nodded to Hiccup in acknowledgment and threw the man back into his ship. The dragon flapped his wings, sending the boat into the water, and away from Berk.
"Hiccup! What did yah dae? He killed mah family! He destroyed mah home! Why would yah just let him leave?" Merida screamed at the man in front of her.
"Because Dagur isn't capable of doing that damage on his own. He's crazy, deranged really. He was the one to pick up the pieces of the fallen kingdom, but he didn't destroy it. I promise. But Merida, he will lead us to the one who did. I know he will." Merida looked at Hiccup, and let the tears fall freely. She latched onto him as if she were drowning in the sea they were just feet from. She sobbed, her shoulders shaking.
"Promise me."
"Promise you what?"
"Promise me, that when we find who did tha' ta mah home, they dae not get away."
"I promise Merida."
The outcast ship pulled into port, the lone passenger climbed his way back to shore.
"What did we learn?" A deep voice asked from the shadows.
"Well, the princess, queen, and three brats survived. But the king didn't."
"Good, good. Nice job Dagur." Dagur smirked.
"Thank you, Alvin."
A/N: I know it took a while to upload another chapter, but I've had stuff going on for Christmas and work. I hope you guys like the chapter and that you had a great Holiday season and a happy new year!
*Cyhiraeth: Pronounced Kee-ra-eeth. She is a goddess whose screams fortold death. I think that was kind of fitting for this dragon, because of the song that they sing.
Alright, leave a review! Thanks for reading!
