There'll be a lot of new characters introduced within the next few chapters but most of them will probably be a one-timer. One-timer will be the word I'm going to use to describe a character that'll appear once (maybe twice) in a story and then is never mentioned again. For example, Fionnghall, Wallace, Ivor, and Malcolm from last chapter will most likely be one-timers.

True story: I was watching HTTYD a little while ago and I'm finding it impossible to watch it without invoking some things from this fiction. Same with Brave.

Nothing to report this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter #17: The Past and the Present

Third Person POV

He was hardly back for a day but William was already engulfed with his duties as Lord. His most trusted general, Kozmotis Pitchiner, had informed him that a bordering village had been raided by bandits. Kozmotis Pitchiner had served the MacInroy family for 16 years; 13 of those years under William. His bravery and loyalty was unquestioned and as a reward, William had showered him with wealth and had given him the honor of being present when the Princess arrived.

William was now in the main hall, sitting back in his chair, listening to the figure in front of him. Kozmotis had visited the raided village and brought back witnesses to recount the event to William.

A 14-year-old boy named James 'Jamie' Bennett was telling William what he saw,

"They rampaged through my village, my lord. They killed anyone in their way and took anything of value. They even ransacked the local church and took the relics and chalices for mass. Afterwards they set everything on fire." The boy visibly shuddered as he recounted the events. A girl, not even 10 years old, stepped to the boy and hugged him from behind, hoping it would comfort him. William watched the little girl, figuring she was the boy's little sister.

"Did you see the leaders of the raid? Did they leave anything behind?" Jamie looked at William and shook his head,

"No, my lord." William frowned his forehead. None of the witnesses had seen the leaders to the raid nor had any found a sign of who it could be. He looked back at the children, noticing the ragged clothing they were wear and thin, bony bodies. William motioned to a nearby maid to come. She obliged,

"Take these children to the kitchens and give them something to eat, they look half-famished" He whispered to her. The maid nodded, gave a quick bow and led the children away through a door. With a sigh, William stood up and looked to the general, "Kozmotis, ready your horse. We're riding out."

Still Third Person POV

The village looked worse than William had imagined. Every home, every building was little more than a heap of burned wood and ashes. The few buildings that were still standing had doors ripped off of its hinges, patches of roof missing, all the belongings thrown on the street. Animals had been released during the raid and were scurrying around. People walked everywhere, trying to find missing belongings or anything of value.

The two men rode quietly through the town, both staring at the damage that was done. William was in such a trance that he didn't notice Kozmotis dismounting his horse and grabbing something from the ground,

"My lord," Kozmotis called out. William stopped his horse, "you may want to look at this." The general handed the lord a piece of folded white cloth, covered in soot, grime and dirt. William took the cloth and unfolded it, reading the single letter that was on there. He looked at the general, both men knowing the meaning of the letter. The letter, an N, was the mark left behind by the most notorious bandit on MacInroy land: Nicholas St. North.

"Any sign of Rider?" William asked as he refolded the cloth. Flynn Rider was St. North's accomplice but he hardly ever let a sign behind. When he did, it was always different, sometimes it being as silly as leaving behind an iron pan with his initials branded into them. Kozmotis shook his head,

"None, my lord."

Merida's POV

When I woke up that morning, I thought at first that it was Rapunzel that woke me and was scurrying around my room but then I realized that I wasn't in my own room at home. The one that woke me up would be my personal maid during my stay. She was short with black hair, a small body, and amethyst eyes. Her name was Annalise but everybody had given her the strange nickname of 'Tooth'. Apparently, Annalise had been a strong believer of the Tooth Fairy when she was younger and thus everybody began to call her 'Tooth'. After the believe diminished, the nickname stayed. I liked her a lot but she sometimes got a little too excited and then she'd talk so fast that I couldn't understand her.

Later the same day in the kemenade, I sat quietly with Anna and Christine. Anna was silently doing some embroidery while Christine was playing a ballad on her lute to her son. I believe it was called the "Ballad of Two Lovers".

It was one of the most loved and well-known stories in DunBroch. I remember my mom used to tell me this story when I was younger. She told me it showed the nature of love but I never gave this much thought.

The story goes like this: in an unknown land, there once lived a man and a woman. The woman was the only child of a wealthy lord and landowner and the man worked for her father as a serf. They met on the outskirts of the property. The two quickly became good friends and soon much stronger feelings began to grow. Under a full moon, they confessed their feelings for each other and shared their first kiss. The two continued to meet in secret. The woman continuously feared they'd be discovered but that fear was quickly dismissed whenever she saw him.

One night, the two were in a beautiful cove. The man asked the woman "what value is there in life if we're not together?" Before the woman could reply, the man asked her to marry him. Thought she knew her family would never accept him, the woman said yes. The next night, they eloped but they were caught before they even reached the next village. The man was accused of kidnapping the woman and was executed shortly afterwards. Depressed and devastated, the woman killed herself. It is a sad story but all turns out well in the end. After the woman kills herself, she is reunited with the man in the heavens and they could now be together forever.

The childhood memories of the story brought a smile to my face briefly but disappeared again when I thought of my mother. I missed her. And my dad, my brothers, Rapunzel, and... Hendry.

I took in a deep breath when I thought about the blacksmith. I missed him a lot. His laughter, everything. He was my best friend but at the same time, is he really just a friend? I dismissed the though from my mind. A blacksmith and a princess could not be together. Even if I had feeling for him and he for me, I'm betrothed.

I banished Hendry from my mind and thought instead about Rapunzel. I missed her too. I wished she could've come with me but William forbade it. He didn't want an Anglo-Saxon to step onto his land. I've never understood why William hated anyone that wasn't a Scot so much. The moral contributed to it but the hatred was greater still. I looked at Christine, who was cuddling her son,

"Christine, where does William's hatred of the Anglo-Saxons stem from?" Christine looked up and was stunned to silence by my question, "I-I know there the moral but is there anything else?" Christine remained silent for a while before putting her son down,

"Seòras, why don't you go outside and play with Katherine?" The boy nodded,

"Ok, mama." He giggled and ran out the door. Christine followed him to it and closed the wooden door,

"Well, first you have to understand that the moral wasn't always what it is now." Christine started, her voice traced by a solemn tone. As she explained, she walked to the window, "Pure-blooded has always been the same but when my father was still alive, pure-minded was that anyone that wasn't a pure-blood shouldn't be treated as an equal." I listened intently to the story, hardly believing what I was hearing. Christine briefly looked out the window, her eyes scanning the vast land before turning around to look at me, "You might find it hard to believe but these lands used to be overflowing with Anglo-Saxons and Vikings." Christine smiled when she saw my mouth open slightly in surprise. She continued, "My father, Lord Robert, took the moral very seriously and never treated a non-Scot as an equal and the way he did it was by paying a non-Scot less than half of what a Scot earned. The Vikings didn't mind too much since they still lived under the same system as they had in the archipelago, which was living off of the land; their system didn't revolve around earning money. But the Anglo-Saxons were furious." She walked back to her chair and sat back down slowly, the memories returning to her no doubt,

"A day after my youngest brother, Boyd, was born, a mob stormed the castle in the middle of the night. They rummaged through each room and took anything of value. Graham, my eldest brother, William, and I hid from the mob while my father assembled the guards and tried to get to my mother and baby brother but it was too late. They had killed them with no mercy." Christine wiped her eyes. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I lost my brothers or my mother. The relationship between me and my mom is far from ideal but I couldn't imagine losing her forever,

"I'm sorry." I said quietly. Christine smiled,

"It's alright, it happened a long time ago." She was silent for a moment, "My father fought down the rebellion and the leaders were executed. Shortly afterwards, every Anglo-Saxon was banished from our land. The next 2 years were spent in peace and quiet but then the war came. Before they could do any real damage, every Viking was slaughtered; that's how the massacre started. My father and brother rode out to fight the invading Vikings but they had no idea what they were up against. They had no idea that the Outcasts had invaded. Their overconfidence led to their downfall; they were both killed within a year." They had lost their father, their mother and two brother in less than 3 years. How do you cope with that? "William inherited the MacInroy lands and the title of "lord" when he was 15."

"He was 15?" I asked with disbelief.

"Yes and he created miracles for us. With William leading the army and the brilliance of General Pitchiner, the Outcasts were quickly defeated and their leader assassinated. After the victory, we stepped down as a neutral party. With William in charge, we flourished. We became wealthier and stronger; it wouldn't be long before the Vikings targeted us. They knew that if we were to align ourselves with DunBroch, they'd have no hope for victory. In the second last year of the war, 4 Viking clans attacked: Lava Louts, Meatheads, Berserkers, and Hairy Hooligans (or rather what was left of them). But luck wasn't on William's side this time. He lost battle after battle, losing more men than he could replace. He realized that he needed allies; that's how I came to be married to Niall, Anna's brother." Anna and I exchanged a brief glance as Christine walked back to the window as she no doubt remembered memories of her dead husband, "William held great admiration for my husband. They became close friends, even closer than William is to Artair. They rode into war together and any could've sworn that they were invincible. But during the last great battle of the war, where all the clans joined together to fight, my husband was killed. William went into mourning with me. By this time, William wasn't the man he used to be. He had lost his father, his mother, his brothers, and his closest friend. After the mourning period, he enforced the current version of the moral. He claimed it was in honor of his deceased loved ones." She sat back down in the chair, looking at the floor, "I've never agreed with this version of the moral."

"If you don't like it, then why don't you say something about it? William listens to you, doesn't he?" I asked quickly. William must listen to Christine, she was his sister. Christine shook her head,

"He listens to no one but Artair. He'll believe that man's every word. And you want to know why I don't say anything?" She pointed to herself to add emphasis, "I realized that if I didn't play the game the way William wanted, he'd not only hurt me but my son as well. He may love Seòras until death but that doesn't mean he safe from William's wrath. As a mother, you do anything to keep your child safe, even if it means going against everything you stand for and believe in." I looked at Anna briefly. She had stiffened up again, biting her lip, and fiddling with her hands nervously. I looked back when Christine spoke, "I'm as trapped as you are."

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