Yay! It continues finally!
Merida rushed in through the entrance to her hut, pausing only long enough to let Terror in before she closed the door behind her. She stood still for a moment, staring at the cold fire pit before emitting a long sigh. This morning's events replayed in her head as she made her way to the back of the room to change.
Once she was in her breeches, and loose fitting top, she lifted the dress she had worn with care and folded it up: it was now filled with more meaning than when she had first donned it. After it was safe with the rest of her meager belongings she dragged herself to her pallet and dropped onto the wooden surface with a slight grimace at the hardness.
A sense of tension lingered within her chest, yet she couldn't find the source. She had confronted Hiccup, who was going to help Peadar and her get home without raising suspicion, and she had learned that most of Berk did not take part in the summer raids. These were good things: so why did she feel anxious?
Terror nipped at her ankle, pulling her out of her thoughts. She frowned down at the small dragon. "What is it now boyo?" The dragon licked his lips and scratched at the basket where they kept some food. Merida smiled and rolled her eyes as she pulled out some dried meat and fed it to him.
She was supposed to meet up with Hiccup again, but part of her felt exhausted. She longed to allowed herself a break, but another part of her looked forward to flying with Hiccup again. She took out a comb and began to try and tame her hair; if she was going to be flying she should at least plait it.
Just as she was finishing he front door open, she glanced up and watched Peadar stride in. The man stopped when he saw her.
"Ah, Merida" he looked outside in case anyone was nearby and then closed the door. "I just ran into Hiccup, I assume everything went well then?"
Merida knoted the cord to tied off her plait and dropped her hands. "Aye, everything went fine." She said quietly.
"Then what's the matter lass?" Peadar took a seat on his cot on the other side of the hut. He placed his hands under his chin and waited. She leaned back on her pallet and looked up to the ceiling.
"I thought I would feel more relieved after I revealed the truth to him, but instead I feel conflicted. Hiccup didn't take me up on the challenge, he just... accepted me. There is something nagging me about how easy it was and I can't place it."
When she glanced towards her companion, he was studying her, which made her stomach feel as though it were being tied in knots. She had seen this look on his face when he watched her interacting with her suitors back home.
Although Merida wasn't supposed to know she had deduced that her mother had asked him to observe any courting activities when her suitors had visited, not just as a chaperon, but to see if she was growing attached to any of them. Peadar had a talent for reading and learning about people. Merida had a sneaking suspicion that he did a lot more than keep an eye on her for her mother though.
"So yer upset because ye've grown attached then?"
Merida sat up straight and frowned at him. "I haven't, I just, well..."
Peadar smiled at her.
"It's okay Merida, I've grown attached to this village as well. The people here are good folk."
Merida looked down at her hands. She knew that Peadar was right; she had discovered this reality last night when she had dragged Hiccup into their hut to silently fume at him. She thought of the aftermath of this mornings confrontation and how relaxed she had started to feel around him.
The knots in her chest drew tighter, a sense of panic began to take hold. She swallowed it back and did her best to ignore it. She realized that Peadar was still watching her, as though he were waiting for a confession of sorts. Instead she thought of something else to say in order to avoid saying out loud what the small voice in her head whispered.
"Peadar, although Hiccup said that he would help us, I still want to try and find our own solution for getting off of this island. I don't want to put the burden of this on him completely, and in the end it might be better to slip away when no one notices."
"Aye lass, we will continue to find a way off of here. However, have you thought about what ye want after we get back home?"
Merida cocked her head to the side in confusion "What do ye mean? We'll be home…"
"Do ye mean to never set foot on Berk again?"
Merida opened her mouth to say no, but a part of her hesitated. She frowned, had she really changed this much because of one Viking?
"I don't know" she sighed, staring into the cold charred wood of their fire pit. "I should get going though, I told Hiccup I would come find him after I changed."
"Okay. Merida…"
She looked at him in question; he seemed to be thinking carefully about what to say next.
"Just… Tis a good thing that yer learning to judge others for who they are, not where they are from, and that yer growing some attachment to... Berk… But, don't get too attached. Yer still a princess, as much as I know ye wish ye weren't."
Merida blinked, confused for a moment about what he was implying. But after a moment she put the pieces together and felt her face grow warm.
She chuckled. "Peadar, honestly, if I haven't gotten attached to the boys back home, why do you think I'll get attached to one here?" She joked, a false smile tugging at her lips to hide the increasing uneasiness that had decided to take up permanent residence inside her chest.
He blinked, his own smile sad, "because, unlike the boyo's back at home, yer not trying as hard to keep him at an arm's length. I know it's because ye don't have to worry about him as a suitor, but… just be careful."
Merida scoffed "I know what my duty is Peadar" she replied sharply before heading out the door.
The sun warmed her as she walked towards Hiccup's house at the top of the hill. Several people in the village hailed her while she walked by, and she found herself offering a smile and a wave back.
As she came up to Hiccup's house she saw him come out the front door, a frown on his face as he ambled down the steps. Merida was about to ask him if he was okay, but stopped herself short, reminding herself that while they were in the village she was still the mute Viking girl.
Hiccup looked up and noticed her there; he gave her a quick, tight, smile. "Hey Merida, shall we head over to Toothless?"
She nodded, then gestured: asking if everything was okay. Hiccup smile seemed to grow more and more forced.
"Yes, it's okay," he replied before walking ahead.
Merida frowned at his back, feeling a touch put out that he brushed her off, but took a deep breath and reminded herself that he was a Chieftain's son and that she was just a visitor, she couldn't expect him to tell her everything. Still, there was a part of her that wanted to help him if something was upsetting him.
They walked in silence, Hiccup seeming lost in thought leaving Merida unsure of what to talk about. Although they had communicated a little bit while they had been hunting together for the past few days, she didn't know that much about his personal life save Toothless. She wondered if he was in a relationship. Although she hadn't seen anyone hanging around him, but she knew that Astrid had a lover in a nearby village: it could be the same for him.
As these thoughts formed she began to feel more and more apart from Berk. She had instinctively felt that everything would be easier now, that she would be an equal, but that wasn't the case.
She looked down and frowned, she was doing precisely what Peadar had just warned her against. Although they were nicer Vikings, she should still make sure to keep a certain amount of distance, she couldn't afford to get caught up in their affairs when she had her own to deal with. It wasn't like she was going to be moving here. No, she was going back to Alba, and was going to marry one of the lord's sons back home. The chance of visiting Berk again was slim.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she crashed into Hiccup, who had stopped walking. She rubbed her nose and gave him a sharp poke in frustration. He straightened and turned to her with troubled eyes. She felt herself soften in response; her earlier thoughts confirmed that there was something bothering him.
After a moment of hesitation she placed a hand on his arm and gestured with her other hand in concern. He looked at her and gave her a small smile.
"I'm sorry that you still have to pretend" he whispered.
Merida rolled her eyes, after a month of not communicating to people in the village verbally she could survive, she was pretty sure that wasn't the real issue he was having.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but then closed it with a snap. Merida warred with herself, on one side she wanted to pester him for more information concerning what was bothering him, but Peadar's words kept echoing in her mind and held her in a tight grip of fear of getting too close.
After a moment Hiccup cleared his throat, there was a spark of determination bleeding through his troubled look.
"I can't take you flying just yet, something has come up and I need to talk to my friends now before any of them leave the island." He paused again, running his hand through his hair. "I'm going to be saying some surprising things, just, I will talk to you about this in more detail after, but my friends have to come first, I hope you understand."
Merida was unsure what to make of this speech, so she simply shrugged and gestured for him to lead the way.
Hiccup headed towards the dragon training arena, along the way he questioned a couple of villagers of the whereabouts of his friends, and requested that some of them be told to head to the arena when they could.
Merida followed, a silent shadow, as she observed Hiccup. This was the first time she had paid any attention to him in the village; she saw the respect that he received from the villages' citizens even though he didn't seem to see it. He wasn't a leader like her father: Fergus walked with the confidence of age and wisdom from ruling for several years. In contrast Hiccup was always a touch hesitant. However, she observed now that he was far more confident when he had a task to accomplish.
A smile touched her lips as she squinted at him, picturing an older man standing tall, with thoughtful green eyes, and surrounded by friends willing to risk everything for the man that they trusted. He would be a great Chieftain, she was sure. The smile dropped after a moment, replaced with a gnawing sense of sorrow that she would probably never see that man.
Eventually they reached the arena where they met with Astrid, Fishlegs and Ruffnut. Hiccup hailed them and mentioned that he had something important to talk about, but that he wanted everyone to be there first. Once Tuffnut and Snotlout arrived Hiccup pulled them all to the side,near where the dragons were housed. He stared through the open door and watched some of the large scaled creatures within. Merida continued to observe from a distance, she hadn't strayed into their inner circle, choosing instead to lean against a nearby wall.
Hiccup took a deep breath, he looked her way before turning his attention to his friends.
"Yngvild is coming to Berk in a week."
This was met with a collective gasp. Merida felt the blood drain from her face, she turned her head away from the group to hide the shock of this news. Fear bit into her core and she pressed her back further against the wall, willing it to support her.
"Yngvild is coming here and has issued an ultimatum to my father: either we join the summer raids with our dragons, or we will be officially stripped from the coastal council."
Merida's head whipped back to the group and she found herself staring at Hiccup in shock. Her fear for her safety fleeing with the realization of how precarious a position Hiccup's father was in.
"So… we are going to have to do it, aren't we?" Snotlout's voice was tight as he gazed at a large red scaled dragon nearby.
"No!" Ruffnut spat "there is no way that we're going to allow our dragons to be used to terrorize people. I'd rather face the force of the mainland in fair and equal battle" she finished tugging at one of her braids. Tuffnut crossed his arms as he stood next to his sister, nodding in agreement.
Hiccup offered them a light smile and then turned to Fishlegs and Astrid, "how do you two feel?"
Fishlegs fidgeted "I don't really like either option, but I don't want Meatlug being forced to hurt innocent villagers, I mean that was what Red Death had done to them wasn't it? It was what led to our war against dragons in the first place, them being forced to fight for someone else."
Astrid stared up at the ceiling as her friends made their stand, Merida wondered if the woman was worried about what this trouble would mean for her partner in the other village. However, once Fishlegs had finished talking, Astrid placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "We're with you Hiccup, you're our future Chieftain." Hiccup placed a hand over Astrid's before dropping it and turning to look at them in turn.
"Okay, well, I said as much to my father: that I didn't want dragons being used for raiding. As such I've been given my first task, as future chieftain, to make a choice on behalf of Berk." He paused to allow his friends a chance to take this in. "I've thought about it, and an idea came to me when I was talking with my father, but it is a bit risky and will require all of you to make it work."
His friends stood a bit straighter, awaiting their orders. Hiccup glanced over at her, she saw that hint of fear creep back into his eyes. She gave him a small smile, and a nod, in hopes of sending some silent strength. He returned the gesture briefly before taking a breath and looking back to the group.
"I want to try and create a treaty with the surrounding villages against Yngvild. Together we represent more seats on the coastal council, and if we can convince them that we will help protect them against him, I know that we can work towards overruling Yngvild's control. He has made enemies through threats, and there are many that don't like that he is trying to gain control of the stretch of water between the mainland and Alba. I need you to go and treat with the other chieftains on my behalf, I can't make it to all of them before Yngvild gets here, but if we divide and conquer we will have more of a chance."
Astrid frowned "This isn't just a bit risky, this is very risky. We don't know if they will agree. Even if they do there is no way of knowing if we'll be able to convince the others on the council to vote against him. What happens if Yngvild stops trade ships from coming? Not having access to trade goods, when you live on an island with few resources, is an easy way to earn back control."
Hiccup nodded in agreement "yes, I know. That is why we were hoping to treat with the Orkney Isles. However, I still think it is possible for us to do just that. While you are out talking to the other Chieftains I am going to take Toothless and fly directly to the Isles to treat with their ruler. He was willing to talk with us before, I know that I can convince him to reconsider an agreement with Berk."
Merida opened her mouth, but closed it with a snap, and reminded herself that she couldn't talk. She closed her hands into fists, and dug her nails into her palms to keep herself under control. There was a flaw in his plan, he had to know that, her people were treating with the Orkney Isles. Her father and the others of Alba wouldn't stand by calmly if their new trading partner was helping their enemy.
Hiccup glanced at her again, she met his gaze and frowned, trying to convey her thoughts mentally to him. He scratched the back of his head with a grimace at her look.
"I have a feeling that I might be able to make a bigger deal with the leaders on the Isles."
"Leader, there is only one on the Orkney Isles" Fishlegs said, instinctively correcting Hiccup.
Hiccup took this chance to give Merida another pointed glance: she realized that he was trying to tell her something too. She thought back to what he had said and the weight of what he was hinting at struck her: he wanted to treat with her people as well.
"So when should we go?" Tuffnut asked stretching, making it obvious that he wanted to leave right away. Hiccup smiled once more at his friends and then began laying out the plans.
Merida looked up at the sky and tried to think how she could help them, but the idea of anyone from Alba being interested in treating with Vikings didn't find a stable home in her mind.
She glanced at Hiccup, he was giving orders, but she paid no mind to what was being said, instead her thoughts were on how she could help him. She was pretty sure that she could convince her father, but it would take time before they could get the other lords to even consider: unless…
An idea planted itself in her unwilling mind. It would never be the path that she wanted in life, but if she could at least use it to help Hiccup, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.
Merida drew herself up straight, a new resolve filled her. This would be her choice, her sacrifice. For the first time she felt that it was something she was doing to fulfill her own desires, not just as a puppet to her parents and the other lords.