I am sick at home and I was bored out of my mind, so I decided to finish this. This is the longest chapter I have ever written for any of my fictions. My previous record was 3,516 (Chpt 3 of this story); this one is 4,901 (AN included). I've got some news, not bad but not good either. Updates will be coming much slower as I've recently started a new job and exams are fast approaching, sooooooo yeah. And don't expect any updates from May 21 to 24 as my school's production of Guys and Dolls goes up on those days and I'm in it. And before any of you ask, I don't have a role; I'm just a New Yorker. Many of you commented that this already really good even though it was only 4 chapters into the story. To that I say: You ain't seen nothing yet! And for those of you that asked questions, the answers are at the bottom but I think that everyone should read them 'cause they contain a lot of info regarding Toothless, the war, etc.
I'd like to give a shout out to LunaMoonlight100 for helping me with the conversation between Merida and Rapunzel. Thanks!
For any Dutchies out there: Leve de koning!
And lastly, this chapter contains violence and language. Enjoy!
Chapter #5: The Celebration
Third Person POV
Heather walked with a bowl filled with hot water and a clean rag towards the woman sitting in the corner. The woman was staring absentmindedly to the floor and had not said a word since her arrival. The woman was blonde and her long hair was done up in two thick braids. She possessed a thin face and frame, and pale skin. As Heather approached her, the only thing she saw was a broken woman with a broken body. The woman's arms and her cheeks were littered with bruises and fresh cuts, some of them still oozing blood. Her right knee was swollen, bloodied, bruised, and positioned at an odd angle. She wasn't wearing any shoes and her feet were covered in dirt and red and one foot was swollen and lightly bruised; clearly a sprain.
Heather pulled a chair closer to the woman and sat down quietly beside her; the woman didn't react and seemed unaware of Heather's presence. She dipped the rag into the hot water and gently grabbed the woman's arm. The woman flinched at Heather's touch and looked at her with fear in her eyes,
"It's alright." Heather whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you." The woman seemed to have understood Heather as she slowly moved her arm towards her and continued to stare at the floor. They sat in dead silence as Heather cleaned the wounds, afterwards wrapping them up to heal. She then got to work on the woman's cheeks, careful not to touch the bruises.
"What's your name?" Heather asked. The woman looked at her and instead of scared, she looked rather confused. Heather repeated the question but this time in Norse. The woman remained silent and Heather kept cleaning the wounds on the cheeks, believing that the woman will tell her her name when she was comfortable enough to do so. After that was done, she turned her attention to the injured knee. At the slightest touch, the woman would flinch and hiss. Heather apologized quietly and continued to examine it. Heather had a lot of experience with many different kinds of wounds and was often able to see what the full damage of a wound was. After a few more minutes of examining, Heather came to the conclusion that the woman's kneecap was shattered.
Heather stood up to get clean water and to clean the bloodied rag. After she was done both tasks, she turned her attention to the injured knee,
"Ruffnut." Heather looked at the woman and she looked back, pointing to herself. "Ruffnut." The woman repeated in a whisper. Heather smiled kindly and set to work on Ruffnut's knee. After long period of hisses and cries, Ruffnut's knee was bandaged and started the process of healing. As Heather walked away to dispose of the dirty water, she knew that the knee would never fully heal; Ruffnut will be stuck with a limp for the rest of her life.
After dumping the water, she heard footsteps in the distance but Heather took no notice of it; she and Ruffnut were safe and well hidden in an underground hideout deep in the forest of DunBroch. But this wasn't just a hideout, it was the hideout where Aileen Fletcher hid, planned and carried out her plans for Vikings. Heather looked at the stairs that led to the outside world and seconds later, a large figure in a black cloak appeared: Seoc. His black hood looked at Ruffnut,
"What's this?" Heather approached Seoc and stopped in front of him, blocking his path to Ruffnut.
"Seoc, she's an escapee. She escaped early in this morning." He looked at her and Heather took a step back when she looked at his dark eyes. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by Aileen,
"She's the Viking they caught yesterday." She explained, "And I got her out with a little help."
"From who?" Seoc demanded
"Ang." She replied,
"Ang!" Seoc yelled, "Aileen, we've talked about this! We agreed that we wouldn't break into the dungeons and-"
"I never agreed to that!" Aileen retorted, "This whole operation is about getting stranded Vikings out of DunBroch, Seoc! Even if it means going into the lion's den to do so!" Though both their faces were covered by their hoods, Heather knew that they were giving each other looks that could kill, "And I have a good reason on why I broke in with Ang's help!" She pointed at Ruffnut, "That is the other Thorston twin. She-"
"And you replied this morning after I asked 'how are we going to tell him his twin is dead' with 'easy we don't'!"
"I didn't tell you because I knew you would try to interfere and every time you do, disaster follows!"
"That's not true!" Aileen was about to retort when an old man, who was also wearing a black cloak but with the hood down, stepped in. The old man was Seoc's father: Seòsaidh.
"Be quiet, both of you! Fighting will not solve anything!" His old voice boomed and the two ceased fighting. Aileen pointed a finger at Seoc,
"You say that it's not true. Prove it tonight by not screwing up!" She spat. She turned on her heels and disappeared into one of the rooms in the back, cursing loudly that Seoc was the biggest idiot she'd ever met.
Rapunzel's POV
I emptied the last large bucket into the tub filled with water that smelled sweetly from all the perfumes but by now had turned cold. Merida hadn't returned yet from her free day and I was beginning to worry; she'd never been gone this long and if she didn't hurry, she'd not be ready in time for the celebration. I walked over to the fire and with make-shift tongs, I grabbed a hot stone from the fire and threw it into the water. The stone sizzled loudly as it fell to the bottom and steam wafted from the water. Dipping my hand into the water, I felt that the warmth had returned, if only a little.
The door opened and slammed shut and there stood Merida; her dress dirty and her mop of curls windblown and wilder than ever before. She took her bow from her shoulder and her quiver from her waist and placed them on the chest at the foot of her bed. She looked at me,
"I know what you are going to say and I'm sorry." I let out a sigh and shook my head as she turned around. I walked to her and undid the back. She took off her dirty dress and gave it to me. As I put the dress away in a laundry basket, Merida changed out of her chemise and put on a garment that she wore whenever she bathed; it was white, reached to about knee's length and had short sleeves. As I walked towards her, she put one leg into the bath, shrieked and immediately pulled it out,
"It's cold!" I looked at the water and back at her and just shrugged my shoulders,
"That's what you get for being late. Now get in!" She gave me a sneer and she got in; I was one of the few people she would actually listen to. She began to clean her feet, her face and anything that was dirty with a white cloth. I grabbed the bucket, filled it until it was about half-full and threw it over her head. Merida sputtered almost as loud as Hendry had when I gave him the same treatment the previous day. I grabbed the comb and began an attempt at brushing Merida's hair,
"OW!" She yelled as the comb came to a knot, "That hurt! Are you my friend or my mother!?"
"I'm sorry, Mer, but your hair got tangled more than usual," I apologized as I tried to go through her hair again, causing another shriek. I kept brushing, hardly any of the knots coming out and earning more shrieks from Merida, "I think that even a sword could not straighten this bush out." She turned around to look at me, her arm rested on the edge of the tub,
"That's what I like about my hair! It's free to be just the way it likes," Her expression changed to sorrow and she turned away from me.
"What's wrong?" I asked,
"Nothing." Merida lied.
"This about the betrothal, isn't it?" I had known her for so long that could always what was bothering her. I placed a hand on her shoulder,
"You know why I accepted! I had no other choice; he threatened us with war and massacre and the clans couldn't withstand him!" A sob escaped from Merida and I too felt some tears forming, "If they could, I never would have accepted." There was a long silence between us. I squeezed her shoulder and she turned around to look at me,
"I know it's going to be hard for you but know that I'll always be here for you when you need me. Always." I smiled and Merida did too. She threw her arms around me, giving me a very wet hug. "Let's get you ready." I said after a moment and Merida let go and nodded. She got out and I handed her the largest towel. I helped her dry off and then helped her with the difficult task of a corset. I knew she hated them a lot and, much to her mother's disapproval, I always tied it looser than normal. She'd usually complain until my ears fell off but today she kept silent. The dress she was to wear tonight her mother had chosen; it was a dark green dress made of silk with wide sleeves, a belt made of large gold rings, and a gold trim. When I was about halfway done the back, the door opened and Queen Elinor entered. I curtsied and muttered 'your majesty'
"Leave us." the Queen commanded. I curtsied again and left the room, taking Merida's dirty dress with me. I looked at the small glass window that was in the door and saw the two women sitting opposite of each other. I couldn't hear what they were saying but Merida seemed to be sad. At one point, the Queen stood up and placed something on her daughter's head. When she stepped back, I saw a golden tiara decorated with gems of the same colour as her dress. I didn't know what happened next as I walked away to first the laundry room, to drop of the dress and then to the kitchens. The kitchen was busier than ever as they were still trying to get the feast ready for tonight. I saw Máiri sitting at the table. She saw me, waving her hand, and I walked to join her when a wave of nausea hit me. I quickly ran outside, hand over my mouth, and vomiting the contents of my stomach onto the grass,
"Rapunzel! Are you alright!?" I felt Máiri placing a hand on my back. When the vomiting stopped, I placed my hand on my belly and a bright smile appeared on my face.
Hiccup's POV
It was about an hour into the celebration when I entered the meeting room with Jack, the sword tucked under my arm. A local leather worker had made a sheath for the sword that was decorated with the symbol of DunBroch; a sword pointing south in front of a Celtic knot. The room was filled with music, with more food than anyone could eat, and was overflowing with people from the other clans, all talking loudly. The clans had united against the Vikings and without their help, DunBroch would have fallen. Everywhere you looked you could see the dull red and green of MacIntosh, the green and gray of Dingwall, the green and light orange of MacGuffin, and the black and red of MacInroy. All the Lords and their sons were present. The sons had, years ago, tried to win the Princess' hand in the Games but through a series of events that involved the Queen being turned into a bear, the sons had been given the choice to choose their own wives rather than compete for a woman who would never love them. Although this decision was given to them 7 years ago, only Lord MacIntosh's son, Ewan, had gotten married. The other two, Bhàtair MacGuffin and Cailean Dingwall, hadn't made a half-hearted attempt to find a wife.
When I looked through the crowd, I immediately noticed that the only Lord that wasn't present was William MacInroy, the Princess' betrothed; Jack had told me that the Lord would be escorting the Princess later tonight.
I turned my sight to the King, who was sitting lazily in his throne, listening to the music and taking the occasional chug from his pint while Queen Elinor was walking among the crowd welcoming guests and making sure the three teenage princes didn't cause any trouble. Hamish, Hubert and Harris had a growing reputation of troublemakers. From the time they could crawl, the triplets have been causing trouble and pranking anyone they could find, especially the maid Maudie, but since the bear incident 7 years ago, the princes had matured a little but their mischievous streak had hardly diminished.
I looked at Jack, who gave me nod. After taking in a deep breath, I walked through the crowd towards the King. As walked through the crowd, everyone that saw me stopped what they were doing and their gazes followed me. By the time I reached the King, all eyes were upon me. I got down on my good knee and held out the sword in both my hands,
"Your majesty, I have done what you asked." The King looked at me with surprise; he probably wasn't expecting me to show up. I held out his pint and a nearby servant took it from him. He stood up and walked towards me. He took the sword from my hands and unsheathed the sword. He examined every inch of it, trying to find a nonexistent flaw. He looked at me and gave the sword a large swing. I flinched when he swung at me and I shut my eyes. Just before the sword could slice through my neck, it stopped and the King let out a hearty laugh.
"This is a fine blade, lad!" He chuckled and all I replied with was a nervous smile. "He sheathed the sword again, held it out again, and another servant took it, nearly collapsing under the weight. "You held up your end of the bargain and now, I'll hold up mine." I looked up at him and he smiled, "The job is yours." I couldn't believe it! I got the job!
"Thank you, your Majesty." The King smiled again and waved his hand dismissively. I got up and walked back to Jack, who was smiling brightly and gave me a pat on my back. I was about to say something when someone loudly announced the arrival of Princess Merida and Lord MacInroy. All the eyes turned towards the stairs where first a man appeared. I looked at him and I was certain I had seen him before; his black hair and lean body looked so familiar. When I looked closer, I saw the scar over his right eye. He held out his right hand and behind him a smaller hand appeared and placed itself in it and from the shadows came the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
They walked down the stairs and made their way towards the thrones but the whole time I kept my eyes on the Princess. Her red curls almost looked like fire though her cerulean eyes calmed that fire. She had a graceful round face and a slender neck and body. I had a weird feeling in my stomach as I watched her; it was something I'd never felt before but I had no idea what it was.
I snapped out of my trance when I saw a swish of black going around a corner in my peripheral vision. Curiosity getting the better of me, I looked around the corner to see a long empty hallway bathed in shadow but I was certain I saw something. I walked through the hallway slowly, the only sounds coming from my footsteps and breathing. I walked past a large tapestry that depicted a battle between the Scots and the Vikings. I took little notice of it and walked a few more paces. I stared in front of me, at the blackness, and I dismissed the swish of black from my mind. Just as I was about to turn around, something grabbed me roughly from behind, a large arm snaked across my chest, preventing an escape, and a knife pressed against my throat,
"Any last words, you filthy Scot!?" A voice whispered into my ear. I pulled at the arm that held me but it wouldn't budge. I strained my eyes to get a glimpse of my attacker and the only thing I saw was a black hood hiding his face. I didn't know who he was but I had a sneaking suspicion of who he worked for,
"You work for Aileen Fletcher, don't you?" He pushed the knife harder to my throat but not enough to cut it. He leaned so close, I could feel his breath,
"What's it to you?" Not an exact answer but I took it as a 'yes',
"Tell her I'm on her side and tell her I said thank you." The man let out a heartless scoff,
"For what?" He pushed the knife even more, giving me a slight cut,
"For helping my people." The man didn't reply and suddenly he dropped the knife and let me go. I rubbed my throat, small lines of blood appearing on my hand. I looked at the man but the only thing I saw was his arm, the knife still in his hand,
"So the famous Scottish blacksmith is a Viking." I nodded as I continued to rub my throat. The man stared at me for a moment and then put his knife back in his unseen belt. "You do realize how lucky you are that you can show your face in public without fear of being discovered?" I stopped rubbing my throat and nodded. I was one of the lucky few Vikings that could hide in plain sight. It was very hard to do since you would have to be able to speak English or Gaelic without a trace of a Norse accent and you had to have a more Scottish look than a Viking. When I was younger, I was the opposite of what the ideal Viking was; I was small, frail, weak. It wasn't until I lived on the mainland that I started to grow but I grew the Scottish way. There was an uncomfortable silence between us for a few minutes, sounds of the celebration faint in the distance,
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Seoc Johnston." He replied; I had expected his real name. We were both Vikings so we could tell each other who we really were,
"And your real name?" Seoc looked over his shoulder down the hallway that led back to the celebration.
"You should probably head back. Sooner or later, the King will be missing his precious blacksmith." He walked around me as I looked down the hallway,
"Tell me your real name first." I got no reply. I looked over my shoulder; Seoc was gone. I slowly walked back to the celebration but my mind was wandering; I had just met another Viking but he refused to give me his real name. Maybe it was better that I didn't know who he really was; he could have been a Berserker or an Outcast. During the war, all the Viking tribes had reluctantly united against the Scots but as soon as it was over, the old rivalries re-emerged in any Vikings that were left. My tribe, the Hairy Hooligans, were sworn enemies of the Outcasts while we had a very strained alliance with the Berserkers. The only allies the Hooligans had were the Bog-Burglars but even that alliance was strained.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of me, snapping me out of my thoughts just in time to avoid a collision. I began to mutter apologies as the figure turned around and shock hit me when I found myself staring Princess Merida. She was staring at me, her expression unreadable, and I bowed my head, muttered another apology and walked away. I took a quick glimpse over my shoulder to see her still staring at me with those beautiful cerulean eyes. The same weird feeling from before re-emerged when I saw her stare and looked away. I walked back to my spot beside Jack; Rapunzel had joined him,
"Are you alright, Hendry?" she asked, "Your face is completely red." I placed my hands on my cheeks, only to feel that they were burning. I didn't reply and looked at the crowd, who were creating a large circle in the middle to allow dancing. I saw MacInroy hold out his hand to the Princess, who took it, and leading her to the dance floor. The music started and the two began to dance. As much as I liked dancing, the dancing of the court was a bit painful to watch; it was so regal, so stiff, I could hardly see any joy in the faces of the dancers that soon joined. None of the women smiled and all the men kept a serious expression. When the dance was finished after an eternity, it was received by a polite clapping, not by the boisterous cheers and laughter like the common folk did at the end of a dance. The clapping finished and all the dancers got ready for the next dance when suddenly the women started screaming and MacInroy took several stumbling steps. I walked through the crowd until I reached the edge and then I saw the arrow that was lodged into the shoulder of the man.
A figure walked through the crowd, pushing anybody in its way. It emerged from the crowd and all watched the blue-cloaked figure walk toward the wounded Lord with a bow in her hand. Everyone recognized her immediately and what she had intended. The King walked towards her when she stopped and held his new sword to her throat. If Aileen was scared, nobody knew but she didn't flinch when the King threatened her.
"Remove your hood." He ordered but she didn't move an inch and though her face was cast in shadow, we all felt her eyes piercing our very souls. The King looked at a guard standing behind Aileen and cocked his head; a silent order. The guard approached Aileen with an outstretched hand and when his fingers almost touched the fabric, Aileen swiftly grabbed his arm. A loud crack and a scream echoed through the room and Aileen bolted, revealing the fur-lined Viking boots she was wearing. The King began to yell orders and he, along with a few guards, ran after her.
Aileen's POV
I ran as fast I as possibly could. I eventually reached the end of the hallway; the only thing visible was a large open window. I leaned over the edge, looking at a drop that was at least 30m. I heard the King and his guards approaching roars and I got up onto the ledge and faced the hallway, shadows of my pursuers getting larger and larger.
They appeared at the end of the hallway; the guards were panting but the King was alert and looking to get a glimpse of my face,
"We have her now." I heard him mutter and he approached me with his new sword in hand. I watched him approach me and when he was less than 3 meters away, I took a step back. The wind blew around me, lifting my cloak, until I hit something; something soft. I popped out of the hay piled on a hay cart and looked at the driver. A grin spread across my face when I saw the familiar dark green cloak,
"Perfect timing, Fionntan, as always." He looked over his shoulder and gave a slight nod,
"Well?" Fionntan asked as I climbed to the empty spot beside him,
"I missed. I hit the fucking bastard in his shoulder!" I looked over my shoulder to see the King in the window, waving his fist and cursing me and condemning me. "We won't get another chance like this anytime soon. Maybe when the bitch is married to him, we'll get another chance." Fionntan snapped the reins, urging the horse to go faster. It obeyed and the hay cart sped into the forest and soon disappeared out of sight.
Fun Fact: Throwing hot stones into water (or visa versa) was a Viking practice. Unlike most people during the Middle Ages, cleanliness and looking good was important to the Vikings.
They've seen each other! I had little inspiration for that part so please bear with me. And we've finally met MacInroy; trust me, he's very important.
Answers
Flowerpower71: OK, I have to admit that I love Toothless. The reason I didn't add him in this story is because Hiccup came to Scotland BEFORE he met Toothless and I've read a lot of fictions where Hiccup takes Merida on a ride and personally I think the idea has been worn to death and I wanted Hiccup to try to capture Merida's heart without the dragon.
Guest: In this story, Hiccup has never met Toothless. Why the Berkians moved to the mainland is for several reasons. If you've seen the movie and/or the TV series, you'll probably notice that Berk is not that big and problems like overpopulation and food shortage would eventually happen. Before the war with the Scots, the Berkians and other Vikings settled on the mainland because it was more bountiful there and it took care of the overpopulation problem. It was also the closest to their original homes. During the war, Berk and all the other tribes were attacked, forcing the Vikings to flee and with limited supplies, the furthest many could go was the mainland. Berk was definitely worst off during the war because they had to deal with the Scots AND the dragons.
T-Biggz: Mor'du won't appear in the story because this takes place AFTER the events of Brave so Mor'du has been dead for a long time. I haven't decided with Camicazi. If she is alive, she'd probably appear in the last few chapters or get mentioned a couple times.
And before any of you asks why the Vikings didn't just return to where they originated. After the war, many were stuck on the mainland because their original homes were destroyed beyond repair and many didn't speak English or Gaelic (so they couldn't communicate properly) and then there was the massacre, which forced many to go into hiding; some hiding in plain sight (like Hiccup) while others disappeared from the face of the earth (like Tuffnut and Rannveig), only to re-emerge when they were either discovered or they could leave Scotland for England or mainland Europe (Which was very expensive during the Middle Ages). Review, favourite, follow.