The Kiss

Doing the right thing should feel less crappy, Hiccup thought to himself miserably. After his confrontation with Merida he'd gone to his room to sulk and be alone. He sighed to himself as he felt terrible.

He had been happy to hear Merida did have feelings for him. But then his happiness had to be squashed down by reality. She was a princess. And he was a Viking, living under the care and more or less at the benevolence of the king and queen. Pursuing the future queen would be out of line, and a major overstepping of his bounds.

With a groan he rolled over in his bed. His dragons watched him curiously, sensing the turmoil inside of him. Toothless warbled and Sharpshot chirped at him in concern. Hiccup ignored them and continued his self-wallowing.

Suddenly a knock came from his door. With a sigh he got out of bed and trudged his way over to answer it. When he opened it, he was met with the slightly worried eyes of the queen.

"Good Evening Your Majesty, something I can help you with," he asked with concern.

"Yes, Merida isn't anywhere in the castle. I'm getting worried," she said. Something on Hiccup's face must have betrayed him, as she cocked her head to the side. "Did something happen between you two?"

Hiccup flinched and flushed red. But then he took a breath. He couldn't lie to the queen. "Well…Merida sort of kind of told me she had feelings for me," he said nervously. "And…I kind told her I kind of felt the same," he added quickly.

"Did ye then?" the queen asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but I swear I explained that we couldn't be anything more than friends Your Majesty," he added hurriedly.

The queen cocked her head to the side and gave him a confused look. "Why not?"

The question caught Hiccup off guard. Was this a trap? She should already know why not.

"What exactly do you feel for my daughter Hiccup?" the queen asked curiously.

"Uh…I-well. That's," Hiccup started stuttering like mad. She was really putting him on the spot here. "I mean, Merida is very special to me. She'd brave, fun, adventurous, beautiful, passionate, and—,"

"You love her," the queen finished.

Hiccup's back stiffened and his eyes went wide. "Well… I mean…I'm not sure…but," Hiccup didn't know if his feelings were quite there yet. They were certainly strong. But he supposed if he had to give an answer…

"Yes," he said firmly with a nod.

The queen looked at him intently. Searching his face for any signs of dishonesty. But she found none. And she knew Hiccup to be an honest and kind person. Her mouth twitched upward into a small smile. How lucky her daughter was.

"So, you love my daughter. But you feel pursuing her would be a betrayal of the king and mine's hospitality?" she asked guessing the reason. Hiccup swallowed, but he gave a nod in confirmation. "And you fell you are unworthy of her…because you are not of means. And a Viking."

"It's the truth. There is nothing I can offer her," Hiccup said as he kept his gaze on the floor. "I'm just a blacksmith here. A peasant."

"Oh, but I think you can offer her something truly grand lad," Elinor said with warmth. Hiccup looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "Love, devotion, respect, kindness, and wisdom," she said with a smile.

"So…you're completely ok with this? I mean if I decided to pursue her?" Hiccup asked in astonishment.

Elinor gave a nod. "We agreed that we'd allow Merida to choose who she'd love. And you're a good man Hiccup. As honorable, brave, and as worthy as any lord or noble," the queen said with a nod.

Hiccup almost couldn't believe it. The queen was giving him permission to pursue Merida. He was about to leap for joy when she piped in. "But you'll need the king's blessing too," she reminded him. And then his stomach dropped to his feet. Right, the king. The Bear King who treated Merida as his greatest treasure and would sooner go to war and probably behead someone than give her to a man he felt was unworthy of her.

Hiccup gulped nervously.

He sighed and steeled himself. "Yes Your Majesty," he said with a nod. Stepping passed her he made his way to find the king. If he was going to do this, then he had to do this right.

Hiccup wandered through the halls of the castle in search of King Fergus. He was both hoping and dreading the moment he found him. Because he was somewhat afraid he would be killed. He checked everywhere he could think to look. He had already checked the armory and stepped into the main hall. But he didn't find him there either. He sighed as he thought of where else to look at this time of night.

"Evening Hiccup."

Hiccup jumped in surprise and whirled around to see the king standing there. "Oh, evening Your Majesty," Hiccup said with a nervous smile. The king's face was neutral and impassive. And Hiccup couldn't help but noticed he had the axe he'd made him slung over his shoulder.

"So lad, I couldn't help but notice my daughter seemed to leave the castle in quite a rush. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would ye?" the kind asked. With a steely tone.

Hiccup gulped nervously. "Yeah…that's why I was actually looking for you Your Majesty. Can we talk?"

"Sure thing lad, right this way," the king said as he started leading him somewhere. Hiccup obediently followed, but he kept his eye on the battle axe the king was hefting over his shoulder. He prayed that he wouldn't suddenly turn it on him.

Soon enough, the king led him to a room and ushered him inside. Hiccup stepped in. And then he froze as he noticed they were in the king's trophy room. He stiffened as he heard the door behind him shut, rather forcefully.

Ok, so this wasn't too terrifying. He was sure that it was purely coincidence that the king led him to a place where he could mount his head on a wall with no one around to save him. The king stepped around Hiccup.

"So Hiccup, you said you wanted to speak to me?" the king asked casually.

"Yes," he took a breath to speak right as the king cut him off.

"Ye know Hiccup, this really is a fine axe you made. Why just the other day I split an entire log in two with one swing. Ah'm sure this axe could remove a limb just as easily," Fergus said.

Hiccup started to sweat. He felt his heart hammering wildly in his chest. It got worse when the king started doing some practice swings with axe. Which, Hiccup couldn't help but notice were horizontal, and right at the level of his neck.

"Right. So, you maybe wanna put down the axe Your Majesty," he said with a weak chuckle.

The king turned to fully face him. Eye passive and axe still in hand.

"No," he said curtly.

"Yeah why would you, you're the king after all," Hiccup said as he rubbed at his neck. He clenched his sweaty palms anxiously as he hoped this wasn't where he was going to die. He said a prayer to the gods.

"Ok, so…Merida may have told me she liked me earlier," Hiccup began.

"Did she?" the king said as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, she did. And," Hiccup took a breath through the nose. He locked eyes with Fergus and stood up as straight as he could. For what he was going to say, he had to be firm and strong.

"I like her too Your Majesty. I'd even dare to say…I might love her," Hiccup said with a firm voice.

Silence ensured as the king held his gaze. Hiccup was starting to get nervous as he shuffled a little on his feet. Suddenly the king raised his axe arm, Hiccup flinched and threw his hands up as he said goodbye to his precious life.

But surprisingly, no decapitation came. He peeked an eye open and saw the king looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What the heck are ye doing lad? Ah', not going to behead ye," the king said a scoff.

"Really? You're not surprised and angry or something?" Hiccup said hesitantly as he lowered his arms.

The king rolled his eyes. "I'd be surprised if Ah didn't already know ye liked my daughter," the king said with an amused grin. "What the heck took you so long lad?"

"Wait, you knew?"

"Of course. You practically roll over for her and make puppy dog eyes when she passes by. Everyone in the entire castle knows," the king said as if this were nothing new.

Hiccup flushed red in embarrassment. "And you're fine with this?"

The king smiled. "Aye lad. You're a good man. You'd treat my daughter like the princess she is. And the woman she wants to be seen as," Fergus said with warmth. "And…Ah want to say sorry for trying to push you toward other lasses. Ah suppose…well Ah suppose I was hoping you'd either move on or be spurred into action," he said with a shrug.

Hiccup smiled, so the king was ok with this. He could pursue Merida without being killed or betraying them.

"However," the king piped in. "What are ye going to do about the lass you're with now?" he asked.

Hiccup's smiled faded. He'd forgotten about that. He couldn't be with two women at once. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. But he felt a stab of guilt for what he was going to have to do.

"I'm heading out Your Majesty. And I'll be back with Merida," he said firmly. The king nodded and let him leave. Hiccup headed for his room to get Toothless.

Hiccup walked slowly through the town as he made his way to Fiona's house. He wasn't looking forward to what he was about to do. Fiona was a nice girl. She was sweet, pretty, and just overall a good girl. Honestly, if he stayed with her, he could probably have a happy life. Marriage, kids, all that.

But…she would always be just a replacement. A distraction from who he really wanted. Hiccup felt shame and guilt inside of him. He'd used her. Used her to try and forget about Merida. And that wasn't fair. No one should be the second choice. And while he did like her, he didn't love her.

Maybe, given time, he would. But he would always regret not at least trying. He'd had enough regrets in his life. He was done not going for what he wanted.

Reaching her door, he knocked. And he swallowed hard. He waited as he heard footsteps from inside the house. He hoped it wasn't her father. That would be weird. But soon enough, the door was opened just a crack to reveal Fiona.

"Hiccup?" she said in surprise. Opening the door she stepped out and shut it behind her. He was wearing a simple night gown and her hair was down. She blushed a little at her state of dress but smiled up at him. "This is a surprise. Why are ye here?" she asked with a smile.

Thor damn it. Why does she have to be such a good person?

Hiccup sighed. Oh how he wished there was another way. But, there wasn't. He had to be a man and stop running from his problems. He had to end things with Fiona before he could fully be free to pursue Merida. Taking a breath through the nose he steeled himself for what he had to do.

"Fiona. I've enjoyed our time together over the last few weeks. I really have," he began. She smiled and nodded in agreement. "You're an amazing person and a great girl. More than I deserve," he said next. At that, Fiona's smiled wavered and she raised an eyebrow. "But, I thing we should…be friends."

At that, Fiona's eyes widened and her mouth opened a little in shock. Hiccup clenched his jaw as he forced himself to hold her gaze. And he saw the pain, confusion, and heartbreak flash over her eyes.

"Oh," Fiona managed to choke out. He brought a hand up to her chest as he tried to push down the pain lancing though it. Hiccup's own heart clenched.

"I do like you Fiona…it's just," Hiccup paused as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He'd never really broken up with someone before. Not like this at least. "I have feelings for someone else," he muttered lowly.

"Is it the princess?" he heard her ask. He looked at her with wide eyes. And hers dropped as she released a sad breath. His look must have said everything. "Ah saw you that night. Ah came back to try and tell ye I wanted to see ye. And I saw you almost kiss her," she mumbled out.

"That's why Ah didn't think ye would come. Ah thought—Ah thought-," her voice started to shake and tremble. "It was foolish of me to believe you'd look at me."

"Hey now hold on, I do like you Fiona. You're a fantastic woman. Any man would be lucky to have you. It's just…I've felt this way about her for a long time. And I was too afraid to do something about it. But I feel I have to do this. And I don't want to betray you in the process."

Fiona looked up at him with watery eyes. She held his gaze as she held back her tears. Then she took a breath while blinking them away. "Hiccup?"

He nodded for her to go on.

"If ye had met me first…do you think ye could love me like you do her?" she asked.

Hiccup held her gaze and offered her a warm smile. "Definitely."

His answer warmed her heart. It helped ease the heartbreak just a little. With a sad sigh, she gave him her best smile. "Ah understand," she said with a nod.

"Thank you Fiona," Hiccup said in earnest. They held each other's gaze, unsure of what to do next. Then suddenly Fiona stepped forward. Rising on her toes, she gave Hiccup what she knew was going to be her last kiss with him. Hiccup didn't pull away as he let her warm and soft lips caress his own. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it before she pulled away.

"Friends?" she said extending her hand. Hiccup smiled and accepted it.

"Friends," he said with a small shake. "And if you ever want to fly on Toothless sometime, just let me know," he added.

Hearing his name, Toothless came forward and nuzzled her cheek with is. He'd liked her. She'd been a good person for his rider. Fiona giggled and nodded. With one last look she turned and stepped inside her house.

Hiccup stood there and released a breath. He still felt some guilt. For he had just broken someone's heart yet again. But there was a sliver of relief. Relief that it hadn't gone that bad. Mounting Toothless, he directed him to the sky and toward where he believed the princess might be.

On the other side of the door. A young woman wept as she had gotten her heart broken for the first time.

Hiccup and Toothless flew above the plains and lands of Dunbroch as they headed for their old campground. He figured Merida would want to be alone. That would be a place where no one would know to look for her. And sure enough, he could make out a small campfire as he circled the lonely mountain.

He descended on Toothless as he landed a few yard behind the lone figure sitting before the fire. He got off his dragon and stood there. Contemplating on how he should approach.

"Hey bud, how about you go check on Angus?" Hiccup said to his partner. Toothless nodded and with a huff left him alone to check on the horse.

Hiccup approached slowly, but of course he knew Merida knew it was him with his metal leg. Her hair was illuminated by the fire. Making it almost glow. She sat back against a log as he came to sit beside her. He glanced at her, and saw her staring intently into the fire. Ignoring his presence.

"Fancy meeting you here Princess," Hiccup tried to say jokingly. No response. "So…I broke up with Fiona," he put out there. At that, Merida's eyes widened as she glanced at him.

She searched his face for any indication that he was lying. She didn't find any. She swallowed and licked her lips. "Why?" she asked softly.

"She couldn't handle all this raw Vikingness," he quipped as he flexed an arm. His heart warmed at seeing a small smile tug at her lips. "But really, there was someone else I liked…like more," he said with a shrug.

"She must be quite the girl," Merida tried to say casually. But she didn't miss the fact that her heart started to flutter at the way he was looking at her.

"She is," he said with a nod. "And apparently her parents are fine with me and her being together. Go figure."

"So, tell me about her," Merida requested as she brushed some hair out of her face. Hiccup smiled.

"Well, she's amazing. She's the best archer in the land. She's beautiful," he said.

"And?" Merida replied as she scooted a bit closer to him.

"She's passionate, and wild, and funny," he said holding his smile.

"Oh really?" she said getting closer still.

"Yeah. She's also a bit of a bully. And violent. Not to mention pig headed and stubborn," Hiccup said as he looked away and frowned. Merida gaped in offense.

"And she's terrible at baking. I swear, how can she be that bad? It's a set recipe, with instructions," he said shrugging in bafflement. He looked back at Merida who was scowling at him. But then he smiled again. He scooted closer until his face was just a few inches from hers.

"But, despite her flaws. Her numerous flaws," he added. Merida narrowed her eyes at him. He was pushing it. "I think I love her," he finally said.

Merida's eyes widened at his confession and she blushed a deep scarlet. Her cheeks burned as Hiccup suddenly began to move closer to her. She stood stock still as he closed the gap. And she couldn't help but close her eyes as he pressed his lips to her own.

Merida never imagined she could feel this way inside. As Hiccup moved his lips against hers there were no words to describe the incredible spark she felt. Everything else seemed to fade away as her world revolved around just them and that moment.

And all too soon he pulled away. Leaving her breathless.

He looked at her with a smoldering smile at made her knees tremble.

"Merida," he whispered to her in a low and husky voice.

"A—Aye?" she stammered out. Coherency seemed almost impossible at the moment.

"You're a terrible kisser," he said to her matter of factly.

Merida flushed in embarrassment. "Och. Ah sorry, Ah've never done this before so Ah don't know—," she stopped rambling as she saw Hiccup smirking at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh you cheeky—I'll show you who's a terrible kisser," she growled at him. In the next moment she tackled him to the ground as she crashed her lips to against his.

Back at the castle, the king and queen laid in their bed as they discussed the likely change in their daughter's relationship.

"So what do ye think love?" Fergus asked his wife.

The queen pursed her lips in thought. "Well, we did say we'd let Merida choose her own fate," Elinor said thoughtfully. "But…it's a little early to say whether or not Hiccup is that fate," she said evenly.

"Agreed love," Fergus said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "But still, he is a good man. I wouldn't mind if he did turn out to be her destiny."

The queen smiled as she kissed her husband back. She thought about the young man who'd managed to steal her daughter's heart and smiled.

"Neither would I."

New chapter. Hope ye like. A bit of a growing moment for both of them i think.