The Realization

Over the course of the next few days, Merida and the royal family wouldn't see much of Hiccup. The young man would either be at the forge, on a flight with Toothless, or spending the time in town with Fiona. The royal family was for the most part happy for him. The young man now had a permanent smile on his face and walked with a skip in his step. Yet there was one person who was feeling slightly neglected from his withdrawal from the royal family.

Princess Merida was slightly miffed at not having seen her best friend since he got his new lass. Whenever she had some free time and wanted to spend it with him, she would always find out that he had gone into the village to see his lass. Not that she wasn't happy for him. But you'd think he'd still try to find some time for her as well.

Currently she was roaming the halls of the castle. It was her day off and she was really hoping to spend it with Hiccup. She hadn't gone on a flight with him and Toothless in what felt like ages. But walking through the halls and asking around, none of them knew where Hiccup was. She decided to ask her mother if she knew where Hiccup was. He almost always informed the queen of his plans for the day. Going into the tapestry room she saw that her mother was looking out the window. And surprisingly so was her father. They seemed to be looking intently at something outside and they were whispering amongst themselves.

"Mum, dad, what are you looking at?" she asked curiously while approaching them. Her parents turned to her with smile on their faces. This made her curiosity grow.

"Hiccup brought his lass to the castle," her mother said with a cheeky smile.

With her curiosity piqued, Merida stepped forward and looked out the window herself. Outside she could make out Hiccup. He was walking side by side with a blond girl that looked to be about her age. She was wearing a blue dress and she was smiling at Hiccup who was smiling back. Merida continued to watch them until they rounded a corner and out of sight.

"Why don't we go say hello?" her mother suggested.

"Grand idea love," Fergus said agreeing wholeheartedly. Then monarchs then stepped around Merida and started walking toward the door. Merida watched them go, contemplating if she should follow. She was very curious about this girl. What was so great about her that Hiccup wanted to spend all his time with her? After another moment of deliberation, she followed after her parents.

Merida and her parents found the pair on the practice grounds. They were at the far wall of the castle and they couldn't make out what they were doing. As they got closer, they could tell. They were snogging each other's faces off. Hiccup had her against the wall and her fingers were tangled in his hair. They were oblivious to the approaching royals as they explored each other's mouths.

When the royals finally reached them, they decided to make their presence known. The king loudly cleared his throat. This made both young people leap in surprise and pull apart. Immediately they whirled around to face the royals and they were both flushing red. Hiccup and Fiona attempted to straighten themselves out to look presentable to the royal family before Hiccup finally spoke up.

"Oh, your majesties, good afternoon," he said with a slight bow.

The king and queen chuckled in amusement at the young couple. "Good afternoon Hiccup," the queen said with an amused smile. "Care to introduce us to your lady friend?" she asked with a smirk.

Hiccup cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "O-of course your majesty," he stammered out. Stepping toward Fiona he put a hand on her back, "Your Majesties, I'd like you to meet Fiona," he said.

The girl looked down shyly. She was nervous as could be by being in the presence of her king and queen. "Your Majesties, it's truly an honor," she said curtsying to them.

"It's lovely to meet you lass," the queen said with a kind smile. "Your family runs the bread shop, am I right?" she asked.

Fiona smiled proudly. "Yes Your Majesty," she said respectfully.

"Your family make some fine breads lass. Be sure to give them my compliments." The girl smiled and blushed at her praise. It made her proud for the monarchs to compliment her family's business.

"So you're the bonnie thing that's stolen all of Hiccup's time then," the king said with a wide grin. The girl blushed and nodded at his teasing. "Ah'm just having fun with ya lass. Well, it was a pleasure to meet ya Fiona, I'll let you two get back to your date," the king said with a nod. With that, the king turned and walked off. The queen gave the girl and Hiccup a nod and turned to follow after her husband. With that, only Merida remained.

Merida eyed the girl. Looking her up and down, she walked up to her. "It's nice to meet you Fiona," she said extending her hand out for her to shake.

"It's an honor princess," Fiona said taking her hand and giving it a shake.

"You can just call me Merida."

"It's an honor to meet you Merida," Fiona said politely.

Merida nodded and smiled at the girl before looking to Hiccup. "Good job Hiccup. She's a pretty one," she said teasingly. Hiccup blushed and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "So Hiccup. Care for a shooting contest today? Unless of course you're too busy with your lass," she asked him.

Hiccup considered her offer for a moment. He had been neglecting Merida since he'd met Fiona. As a good friend he owed it to her to spend some time with her. Looking to Fiona for approval, she nodded in acceptance and smiled. "Alright Mer sure," he said with a shrug.

Merida smiled. She told him to wait while she went to go find her bow and his shield. It had been ages since they'd had a shooting contest. She was just glad to be spending any time with him.

After retrieving her bow, a quiver of arrows, and Hiccup's shield, the pair had set up a line of six practice targets. Merida and Hiccup were standing about forties meter in front of the target. Off to the side, Fiona was sitting on a barrel as she awaited the start of the contest. It was a well-known fact that Merida was the best archer in the land. But she would cheer for Hiccup to win.

"Would her majesty like the first shot?" Hiccup asked Merida mockingly.

At his right, Merida rolled her eyes. "Don't mind if ah do," Merida said with a confident smile. She always won their shooting contests. She would win again. Pulling an arrow from her quiver, she notched it and raised her bow. Taking a breath she pulled the drawstring back to her cheek and aimed. Releasing her breath, she let the arrow fly. Her aim was true and it hit the bull's eye dead center. Merida smiled victoriously and turned to smirk at Hiccup.

Hiccup wasn't surprised in the least at Merida's shot. She had spectacular aim from her years of archery practice. With a sigh, he figured he wasn't going to win their shooting contest today either.

"Come on Hiccup!" Fiona shouted to him in encouragement. Hiccup looked at her and smiled in appreciation. Merida found herself frowning at Hiccup's beaming smile. She didn't know why.

Hiccup faced the target. Holding out a hand toward Merida, she placed an arrow in it. Activating the switch and turning his shield into its crossbow form, he raised it and took aim at the target. Then he placed the arrow onto the shield and pulled it back against the draw string. Taking aim, he took in a deep breath. Then releasing his breath he let the arrow fly. It sailed through the air and hit the target dead center. Hiccup was mildly surprised by his shot. He didn't hit the bull's eye that often.

"Well princess, it looks like we're tied," Hiccup said with a proud smirk. Off to the side, Fiona clapped at his shot. Hiccup turned to look at Fiona and bowed theatrically. "Thank you milady," he called out to her. She blushed and smiled back at him.

Merida rolled her eyes. She wasn't impressed. "Lucky shot Viking," she said while drawing another arrow. Hiccup hit a bull's eye every now and then, but it never ended in his victory. Notching the arrow she lifted her bow up and aimed at the target. Focusing and taking a breath, she pulled back on the drawstring. Then she released her breath and let the arrow fly. It sailed through the air and hit dead center once again. Merida smiled in satisfaction at her perfect shot. She gave Hiccup a smug smile.

"Yeah, yeah, no surprise there," Hiccup said dryly. Looks like he definitely wouldn't win this contest either. He decided to at least have a little fun with it. "Good shot princess. But prepare to face my secret weapon," he told her. She cocked an eyebrow at his cocky attitude. Hiccup gave her a mischievous smile before turning to Fiona.

"Fiona, can you come here?" he asked her. Fiona perked up and cocked her head to the side inquisitively. But after a moment of hesitation she obliged and walked up to him. "My secret weapon," Hiccup said before handing her his shield. She took it, not sure what Hiccup was planning. Then he came up behind her and faced her towards the target. "Fiona, you're gonna take the shot," he told her.

"What!" she squeaked out in surprise.

"Yep," Hiccup told her with a smile.

"What do you think ye're doing Hiccup?" Merida asked him in annoyance. She placed her hands on her hips and scowled at her friend. She took archery very seriously.

"What's the matter Mer? Afraid my secret weapon will lead to my victory?" he said coolly.

Merida knew he was just trying to get into her head. There was no way this girl was going to pull off a miracle shot. Even if she did, Merida would still win. She grinned confidentially back at him. "Fine, go right ahead then," she said gesturing with a hand toward the targets.

Hiccup smiled back at her while adjusting Fiona's stance and raising her arms up. Then he grabbed an arrow from Merida and placed it in her hand. He guided Fiona's hand into notching the arrow and pulling back the drawstring. She was shaking nervously, not confident in her ability. Hiccup gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze and he told her to fire. The girl took a breath and let the arrow loose. To her amazement she hit the ring just outside the bull's eye. She smiled to herself in pride and laughed in exhilaration.

"Nice shot Fiona," Hicca told her impressed.

"Ok, ah'll admit it, that was a very good shot for a beginner," she told the girl sincerely. Fiona smiled at her in appreciation of her praise. "But it won't be good enough," she finished confidently. Merida's confidence was bursting at the seams. She had this in the bag. Drawing an arrow, she notched it and pulled back on the drawstring. She was smiling to herself as she took aim. She was going to win no problem. Then just as she was about to fire, she turned her head slightly to see the look on Hiccup's face as she was about to beat him once again. But what she saw was Fiona giving him a kiss on the cheek while he beamed with absolute glee. Seeing him smile from her kiss made something dark bubble inside of Merida. It caused her to lose her concentration for just a second. But in that second Merida's form faltered and she accidentally let her arrow fly. She turned her head forward to watch it fly from her bow, and hit the target in the outer black ring.

Hiccup's mouth fell open in shock at Merida's shot. He had never seen Merida so far off a target before. Looking to her face, he saw that she looked just as surprised as he was. Deciding to end the contest, he took a step forward and grabbed an arrow from her quiver. Notching it, he pulled back on the drawstring and took aim. Then he let the arrow fly and it hit the red ring. He stood there frozen as he tallied up his points. He almost didn't believe it. He had just won.

"Hooray! Well done Hiccup," Fiona cheered. She gave Hiccup a hug as congratulation. He remained frozen for a moment before returning the hug and swinging her around in a circle. She giggled in delight before he set her down and smiled at her. Then they both looked at Merida who was scowling as she stared down at the targets like she couldn't believe she had just lost.

"You ok Merida?" Hiccup asked her in concern. At his words, Merida turned to him with a scowl still on her face and glared. "Easy Merida, it was all in good fun," he said trying to calm her down. He could tell her temper was rising. Her nostrils were flaring as she took sharp, quick breaths in an attempt to keep calm. He knew Merida hated losing at anything, but this was a little extreme.

"Ye just got lucky," Merida hissed angrily.

"I know that Merida, trust me. You're still the best archer in the land," he told her with a shrug.

That calmed Merida down slightly. But she was still upset for some reason. She couldn't figure out where all this anger was coming from. She glanced over at Fiona who was still holding onto Hiccup. Something within her churned as she saw the girl holding him. Did she have to cling to him so much?

With a huff and a grumble, Merida turned and stomped off, leaving a confused Hiccup to watch her curiously. What had her so upset? This couldn't just be about losing, Merida was a better sport than that.

Elinor was sewing her tapestry project while Merida stomped around the room in an angry huff. She was patiently waiting for her daughter to tell her what was bothering her so she could help her. But unfortunately Merida had never been one to divulge what she was feeling unless it was her temper.

"Something wrong dear?" Elinor finally asked.

Merida crossed her arms over her chest before she gazed down at the floor. "Hiccup beat me in a shooting contest," she muttered lowly.

"Well I guess we'll have to alert the whole kingdom of your lost title then," Elinor said with a small smile. "Now what's really wrong dear? I know you're a better sport than to get this upset by one loss."

Merida looked at her mother's back as she continued to sew. She started to fiddle with her hands as she began to try and assess her mind. What had her so angry? It was just a contest.

"I don't know mum. I just hate losing," she mumbled.

"Hmmm," Elinor began. "What do you think of that Fiona girl?" She asked.

Merida's stomach began to churn as the dark feeling inside her began to bubble up from unknown depths of her being. "She's ok I guess. Nice, if you like that sort of thing," she said casually.

"That sort of thing?" Elinor said curiously.

"Yeah. You know, blue eyes, long blond hair, big…those," Merida said gesturing with her hands.

"Seems Hiccup likes her quite a lot. She seems to like him too," Elinor said evenly.

Merida frowned. "Sure. I couldn't tell by the way she clings to him and he's been ignoring me," she grumbled. "And the way he smiles and lights up like she were the very sunrise," she added. Merida had no idea why that was upsetting her. Why should she care? Hiccup was happy…so why wasn't she happy for him?

"Come sit with me dear," Elinor said turning in her chair and gesturing to a stool. Merida approached and took a seat in front of her mother. Elinor looked into her daughter's eyes and took her hands in hers. "Merida, has anything changed between you and Hiccup?" she asked. Merida raised an eyebrow, not sure what her mother meant.

Elinor sighed. "Merida, I saw what nearly happened between you that night," she said. Merida wasn't sure what she was taking about. "The night of your birthday party," she elaborated. Merida's eyes widened in shock. Then her face turned a deep scarlet in embarrassment.

"Merida dear. I think, over the course of these few months, you've come to see Hiccup as something more than a friend," Elinor said calmly.

Merida remained silent for a moment. Then she proceeded to burst out laughing. "Oh, good one mum. Me like Hiccup," she said as she clutched her stomach. But when she peeked an eye open at her mother she noticed her face wasn't indicating she was joking.

"You're serious. You actually think ah like Hiccup? She asked. Her mother remained motionless before giving a slight nod. Merida leapt from her seat in outrage. "I don't like Hiccup. We're friends," she shrieked.

"You almost kissed him dear," Elinor reminded her.

"We just had too much wine mum. Ah would never like Hiccup. Ah like my men with more meat on them. He's a fishbone," she argued.

"Oh Merida its ok. It's not uncommon for two friends, especially those who spend lot of time together, to develop feeling for one another," Elinor said evenly.

Merida scoffed in disbelief. How could her mother suggest something so absurd? "Bah," Merida said waving away her idea. Then she got up and stomped out of the room. Elinor watched her go and shook her head. Poor girl was in denial.

Elinor figured Merida would have trouble when she actually found a nice boy she liked. Merida had always been adamant about her independence that she avoided all things romance. So now that she had begun to have romantic affection for another she had no idea what it was. Or what to do.

Elinor kept her gaze fixed on the door. She waited patiently until sure as she predicted it opened just a crack and Merida peeked her head in. Merida looked at her mother nervously as she tried to find the right words to say.

"If ah did like Hiccup, and ah'm not saying ah do, how would ah know?" she asked softly.

"Well…for one you'd always seek out his company just because you like to spend time with him. You'd think he was attractive. Funny, even if he isn't. You'd think about him constantly and the thought would make you smile," Elinor said.

Merida processed her mother's words before closing the door. Then she trudged back to her room and shut the door. Flopping down on her bed she stared at the ceiling and thought about what her mother said.

Did she like Hiccup as something more than her best friend? She did like his company, she actually preferred it over anyone else's. Even if they didn't do anything she just liked being near him. And Hiccup was funny. He could make her smile and laugh about almost anything with a witty comment. She did think about him quite a bit. And, if she had to admit it to herself he was just the tiniest bit attractive. With is broad shoulders, tall frame, lean body, kind eyes that were a shade of green that made her want to stare into them.

Merida shook her head of the thoughts. But they came swirling back until she was forced to come to a conclusion.

She liked Hiccup.

But if her other said it was normal for two friends who spent a lot of time together to develop feeling for one another…why was Hiccup with Fiona? Did that mean he felt nothing for her?

Getting up she walked over to her mirror and looked at herself. Merida was very humble about her looks despite being considered very attractive. It was honestly a miracle she hadn't let it go to her head. She'd just honestly never cared much about the way she looked. She knew she wasn't ugly. She knew that people though she was attractive but so what? It had never been important to her.

Until now that is.

Merida began to compare herself to Fiona. The other girl was curvier than she was. And she had a fuller bust. Bringing her hands up to her own chest she wondered if Hiccup liked bigger breasts more. She'd heard that men liked more buxom girls over tiny things like her.

Then there was Fiona's hair. Straight and long like golden silk. Merida took a look at her own hair. A bushy mane of fiery red curls and suddenly became very self-conscious about it. Was that why Hiccup liked Fiona more? Because her hair was straight and beautiful and not a crazy curled mess like hers. Her heart sank as she remembered Hiccup seemed to have a natural preference for blondes.

Merida hugged her self. Not feeling particularly beautiful since the one person she actually wished to look her way would rather look at someone else.

New chapter sorry for the long wait people. Writer's block and overthinking things. Plus my other fnfic ideas been flowing easier. Feel free to comment and review and know i haven't given up on this story.