Hiccup and Merida fell into a comfortable pattern. After the first draft of the tail had failed, Hiccup had dedicated himself to helping this dragon. Of cores that meant he was gone a lot. That's where Merida came in. She always sent people on a wild goose chase if they needed him, or came up with some kind of excuse. At night the pair lay by the fire, Hiccup telling her his modifications, what he had learned, and taking Merida's breath away. It was weird, Merida had come to this island to learn how to kill dragons, but the more she listened to Hiccup's stories, the more she wanted to meet this dragon. She wanted to see with her own eyes what Hiccup was now convinced of: Dragons were not the enemy.
This comfort they had within the home was amazing, yet Merida couldn't help but be concerned. The words Gober spoke were of combat; something she knew about. Hiccup talked of glorious dreams that nobody had dared dream before. Though she had to admit, his newfound knowledge of dragons had earned him a place on the battlefield that he would not have had otherwise. And Astrid. That girl made Merida's skin crawl and her teeth bunch. She would love to send an arrow through her armor. She had been paying more attention to Hiccup now that he had some standing in the ring. She didn't deserve the time of day from Hiccup, but she couldn't say that.
The day that Hiccup had told her Astrid had almost caught him and toothless, Merida had wanted to strangle him. She was so mad that he had brought the dragon to the village and not shown him to her. What was more, Astrid would have been the first to meet Toothless! Once she had calmed down, she told herself she had nothing to worry about. Hiccup was fiercely loyal; he wouldn't betray her.