CHAPTER 4 – REMEMBER

REVISED: 4/19/2015 1:07 pm GMT+8

"Heccup, where's the fire!?" Merida shouted against the wind. Her arms hugged around Hiccup's torso to keep herself atop Toothless. "Ye'r movin' too fast!"

It was a dark night out with only dimly lit roads ahead of them. The chances of them colliding on something or someone are very high.

Hiccup chuckled, slowing Toothless down. He was used to riding fast that he didn't notice the speed they were going for.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think the speed would bother you."

Merida slapped his shoulder lightly. "It doesn't bother me!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "If her Highness says so," he mocked, earning him another jab.

"Ye are one brave feshbone! Mockin' me like this." Merida scoffed. Not a bit of hostility was present from her voice.

Hiccup bestowed her with another hearty laugh. "It has been a long time since you last called me a fishbone."

Merida's eyes shone in realization. "Ye'r righ'. When was the last time again?"

"Hmm …" Hiccup pursed his lips in thought, eyes looking away.

"Ohh! A' know!" Merida answered her question all on her own. "The last time A' did was when A' named ye!"

"You sound so proud." Hiccup rolled his eyes, not really getting why the princess was so proud of what he's named with. Anyone would agree that his name was utterly ridiculous.

[Flasback]

"Merida, keep yer voice down, ye might wake up the lad," a soothing but authoritative voice said.

"But mom, this boy had been sleepin' for days now, it would be better if he wakes up," another voice retorted.

The mother grinned at the reply that her daughter gave her, 'that makes sense,' she said to herself. The mother was about to say something but stopped when the sound of groaning came from the sleeping boy's lips. The girl, who was addressed earlier as Merida, heard the groaning as well, making her rise from where she sat and stood close to the boy with hopeful eyes plastered on her face.

The mother had the same look in her eyes as she waited for the boy to finally wake up from his long slumber.

The person graced with the attention slowly opened his eyes, revealing deep forest green pupils. The boy mumbled and blinked until his vision adjusted to the blinding light of the room. His eyes went wide as saucers upon the sight of two strangers gazing intently on him.

The strangers exchanged looks, waiting for one of them to speak. The older of the two cleared her throat then softly looked to him, "How are ye feelin', lad? Please, do not be wary, we are not goin' tah hurt ye."

The boy gazed at her, willing himself to calm down from the shock. It occurred to him that these people were not of their Kingdom for the older woman had a different accent from their own. After a few deep breaths, he finally felt himself calm down and he nodded his head, trusting these two not to hurt him.

The two sighed in relief, their tensed shoulders relaxed. The girl with copper red hair smiled and introduced herself, "A' am Merida, Princess of Dunbroch and this is mah mother, Queen Elinor of Dunbroch."

The boy's eyes widened more at the mention of royalty titles. He was starting to worry whether the two recognize him. But his worry dispersed when the princess asked.

"Who migh' ye be?"

Perfect. It was all the boy could think of. They were clueless to his identity and this worked on his favour. As long as his identity is unknown, he is safe.

"Do not let anyone know who you are or else, it will be the death of you."

He still remembered that warning. No one should know who he is –was. Therefore, he thought of a lie.

"… I don't …" Here goes nothing. "… remember." He finished with a scratch of parched throat.

Queen Elinor gasped slightly.

"I … don't remember anything … " he continued. Merida stared at him before moving her attention to her shaken mother, "Is tha' even possible, mom?"

Queen Elinor heard stories like these. People woke one day with no memories intact. Some didn't even have the ability of speech nor common sense as if they were reborn as a baby with no knowledge of the world. According to wise doctors, it was triggered by head injuries and perhaps, trauma. Seeing the state of the boy, she guessed trauma to be the cause of the boy's memory loss.

"Yes, doctors told me of cases like these. But this is the first time A've met someone who suffered it."

"That's awful," Merida looked at the horrified boy whose eyes were now wide with terror. An expression that greatly alarm Merida, "What's wrong, lad?"

"My…my leg… w-what happened to my … ? " Merida looked at her mother, asking her what to do.

The Queen wrapped her hands around the boy's nimble fingers.

"We don't know what happened, we only saw ye lyin' in the middle of the woods … "

The boy shook more and more by the minute. What goes on in his mind was a mystery to the ladies inside the room. The truth was only present on the recesses of the boy's mind.

The screams, the pleas, and the cries, all of it came rushing into his mind.

My … mother … father …

He broke down and cried, covering his face with the palm of his hands. The two royals stared at each other, thinking the boy was grieving over the loss of his limb. Little did they know that his agony and pain encompasses more than the lost of his leg.

Overcome with motherly concern, Elinor wrapped her arms around the terrified young man, rocking him the way a mother would to soothe away the terrors their children felt from a nightmare.

Merida bore witness to the scene. She had never seen raw fear. The kind, that could chill one's empty core to eternal tundra. She didn't even cared seeing her mother hug a stranger, for she felt the same pull of comforting the cowering kid.

For once in her life, she found out that she's not as strong-headed as she thought she was. She's also human, capable of pity, of sympathy.

In complete silence, they allowed the kid to cry until he passed out, whimpering. After tucking him in, the two left the tent, meeting eyes with the eavesdroppers from outside.

"What do ye think happened to him, mom?" were Merida's first words after their long silence.

"A don't know, Merida. But if the boy doesn't remember … then A think it would be for the better. He cried tha' much knowin' he lost a leg, what more would he feel if he knew what truly had happened to him?" was the only reply the Queen gave.

"Mhmm…"

At first, the boy was quiet. Not a single word was said and the only sound that came out from his mouth was cries of grief.

He didn't eat. He didn't drink. He only slept when no more tears fell from his swollen eyes.

But amidst the depression, Merida never left the boy. She visited his tent all day long, bringing food and gifts she thought would make the boy happy, to no avail.

Few days later, the boy's cries lessened to silence and empty gazes.

He took small bites of food. He consumed water with sips. He slept only when the tears threatened to fall again.

Amidst the slight recovery, Merida sat beside him all day long. She still visited, longer now. She abandoned the idea of bringing him gifts from her early morning hunts. Instead, she brought him stories from outside. At times, he reacted.

After three weeks, the boy never cried again. And now, he laughs and speaks.

He ate. He drank. He slept accordingly.

And through it all, Merida was there. She visited him until the sun went down, having dinner and small chats with him.

"Ye know, we've been talkin' fer weeks now and ye still haven't remembered yer name … A should call ye somethin' than, 'hey' and 'ye'," Merida exclaimed as she chew on a toasted chicken leg.

"Oh yeah? You have been calling me fishbone for a while now; I almost thought that's my name."

"Do ye like bein' called a fishbone?" the princess replied, wiping her mouth off the grease with her sleeves.

"No, I would like it if you will give me a better name," the boy threw Merida a face cloth, motioning for her to use it than her sleeve.

"Alrigh', how bout we think of yer name right now?" She suggested while cleaning her greasy face.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it should be somethin' that fits ye."

The boy nodded, just to amuse her.

"Hmmm, how about Angus … ?" she suggested, "Oh wait, that's my horse's name … " She chortled.

The boy rolled his eyes.

"Any first letter ye want for yer name?"

Well … Hiccup held his chin in thought. "H?" It wouldn't be so bad to choose the first letter of his name, he thought.

With a raised brow, Merida asked. "Why H?"

The boy just shrugged.

Merida didn't bother to pry further. It's not something that's too important anyway. "How about Hani?"

The boy raised his brow. "Hani?"

"Yes, Hani."

The two stared at each other before they shuddered in disgust. Hani resembled Honey too much, they both thought.

"Erk, tha' sounded too endearin'." Merida dangled her tongue out, imagining her parents getting all chummy and calling each other names too sweet for her teeth.

"How about Harold?" But Merida shook her head quickly, dismissing the fact that the boy nodded his head in acceptance to the name. "Too glorious. Did ye know that name belongs to that legendary army ruler from the Far North?"

" … so, it doesn't fit me?"

Merida nodded without restraint.

"Wow, thanks." He muttered sarcastically, earning him a playful jab to the shoulder. "Ow. I'm a patient here."

Merida smirked smugly. She suggested several more names. All of them were rejected … by her.

Seriously, the boy would accept anything now as long as this onslaught ends already. Feeling parched, he grabbed a cup of water, drinking it to his heart's content. His attention to the princess was now divided, almost non-existent.

"Hartma-, uh, no, no, Hamis- nah, still not," she muttered. "Hakon … ?"

His eyes widened automatically upon hearing his name from the princess' mouth. His real name was so uncommon that he was so surprised the princess would even think of it.

"Hey, ye alrigh'?" she said, patting his back as he coughed.

The boy was breathless by the time the cough subsided. However, persistent hiccups took over.

Childishly, the princess laughed at her new friend's predicament. It was pretty darn funny watching the boy hiccup. The sight was so adorable that she couldn't help but think the boy suited the hiccups well.

Suited. Him. Well.

Her eyes widened. "A' got it!"

"W-what?" He said in between hiccups.

"Yer name!"

"W-what is i-it!? Silently, he hoped it wasn't Hakon. He would accept anything as long as it's not his real name.

She smirked, "Promise me ye won't reject it?"

The boy was clearly having second thoughts but nodded his head in agreement.

"Hiccup!" she said with a wide grin.

The boy didn't understand, looking at her in question.

"I meant yer name. Yer name should be Hiccup, ye feshbone!" Merida exclaimed, making emphasis on the word, 'fishbone.'

"W-why would y-you name me H-hiccup? T-that's just a-as ridiculous as f-fishbone," he complained, trying to still his breath.

"Oh come on, ye hear the name Hiccup and someone could easily picture … " she surveyed him from head to toe, "this." She pointed her hand towards him.

"Bu—," the boy was about to complain again but never had the chance for the princess held up her palm to silence him. "Ye promise that ye will accept any name A' tell ye."

The boy, now named Hiccup, sighed in defeat. "Alright, a-alright, but seriously h-how is t-that better t-than fishbone?"

"It's fate!"

Hiccup looked at him incredulously. "Are you even serious?"

"What were the chances of ye hiccupin' while we were thinkin' of yer name? It's fate, A' tell ye!"

"Then Gods must really hate me … " Hiccup slumped his head on a nearby pillow, feigning defeat.

[End of Flashback]

"Of cos' A' am. A' feel like A' did God's will."

Hiccup scoffed. "Which God are you praying for? Loki?"

"Oh, don't be such a babeh."

"My name is ridiculous! If you were named Hiccup, you would understand."

"A' could've named ye Snot but A' didn't!"

Hiccup halted Toothless, glancing back. "Where do you pick those names!?"

"From mah nose."

Hiccup deadpanned. "Ha. Ha. NO." Toothless took off again.

"Oh, lighten up!" Merida giggled. "A' was tryin' tah kill yer grumpy attitude."

"When you have children, I'll name them. Got it?"

Merida looked away. "And why's tha'? So ye could enact revenge? A' don't think so."

"No. So, they won't have ridiculous names!" Hiccup replied, eyes now focused on the nearby gates of the castle.

Merida jabbed him again on the shoulder and Hiccup cursed her for it silently. It's painful, in case anyone didn't notice.

Hiccup parked somewhere hidden from the guards, helping Merida down from the horse gently.

"You should be fine here." Hiccup said, patting Merida's untamed hair to places too messy.

Merida bopped her hair, smiling. "Head on home. Be careful on yer way."

Hiccup took that as his cue to go, perching himself atop Toothless.

"Heccup."

"Yeah?" He looked at her as she backed away to the direction of the kitchen's outside door.

"A' give ye permission."

" … ? " Hiccup raised a brow in question.

"In namin' mah children."

And Hiccup laughed a little. "I was joking, Mer. Your husband might get mad."

Merida gave him an enigmatic smile as she waved her hand, turning on her back and running for the door.

Hiccup waited her to disappear before he bolted Toothless for a run.

"Are you all right?" Jackson helped the old man stood on his feet. "Why are you walking all alone? Do you have any companion with you?" He had been used to seeing old men taken care of by younger relatives as they ventured out, especially at night. It's quite dangerous to let old folks walk alone for they risk tumbling down and hurt themselves.

Little did he know, not everyone were treated the same. Some old folks work until their deaths, some weren't even taken care of by their selfish children who only cared for themselves.

"A' am fine, lad." The old man replied, eyes widening when he recognized the young man who helped him. "Yer Highness?"

And Jackson blinked, smiling sheepishly. He didn't think anyone would recognize him. Not with the way he was dressed.

"Excuse mah rudeness, yer Highness!" The old man tried to bow.

"Please, please. It's all right. There's no need for you to do that." Jackson held the old man's shoulder. "Where is your home? I shall accompany you."

"Oh, there's no need, yer Highness. A' can find mah way home. A' just stumbled badly but A' can make it on my own."

It was pretty late. As much as Jackson wanted to insist in assisting the man home, he shouldn't be found missing by his brother when he awoke from his slumber, lest he risk his twin panicking.

"Very well."

The old man heard of the Overland's cruelty and not wanting to push the young prince's wrong buttons, he squandered off fast for an old man his age.

As Jackson stepped back to head back his way, his feet stepped on what felt like a root, looking down, he found it was a shepherd's staff.

"Uhh … " He looked back, believing the old man who fell just now to be the owner of the said staff. Absentmindedly, he twirled it as he searched left and right for the suspected owner. "Will he be fine without this?" If he's correct, the man uses this for his work, perhaps, support when he walks.

"OUT OF THE WAY!"

Jackson heard and whipped his head, seeing a hulking creature harrumphing fast towards him. With the grace of cheetah, he dived to the side, landing his body to the soft ground.

"Agh … "

"Heed!" And the hulking creature stopped.

Light feet met the ground with a soft thump and Jackson heard graceful steps head his way.

"Oh Gods. Are you okay?" A hand touched his shoulder, making the young prince look back.

With wide eyes, Jackson gaped.

What were the chances of him meeting the boy so soon?

"You didn't hit your head, did you?" Without even asking for permission, the boy held his face in between his calloused hands, craning it left and right to inspect bleeding or lacerations.

Jackson, on the other hand, just laid there, limp. His chocolate brown eyes were focused entirely on the worried greens. And once again, he's spellbound. Lost and drowning in its mossy depths where the survival instinct to swim back to the surface were washed away like scribbled words on beach's sands.

What's with these enigmatic eyes that made Jackson a puzzled mess?

"Hey! You okay?" The boy shook him by the shoulders, snapping him back to reality.

" … wa – o?" Real smooth. Jackson cursed.

"Huh?" The boy crinkled his forehead. "Oh my, you can't even talk properly." Stress became evident on the boy as he brushed his unruly brown hair frantically. "I – uh. Oh Gods, what should I do? I-I-I s-should get a doctor. Yeah! A doctor!" He stood.

But Jackson took his arm quickly, shaking his head. "No, I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" The boy approached him; the way someone would do to a scared animal.

Jackson nodded.

He was helped up by two thin but strong arms. Immediately, the boy dusted off his dirty shirt with a hand while the crown prince just stood there, watching him.

The kid wasn't bad looking. Jackson thought. Aside from the kid's rare shade of green eyes, he sported a cute button nose and a freckle-peppered face which gave him the softness of an innocent child.

So, this was the princess' type? My friend … looks pretty close … ten years ago …

As Jackson gazed away from the boy's thin lips, he returned his attention to the eyes that puzzled him atop the tree earlier.

"Do you hurt anywhere?"

Jackson blinked and shook his head.

With a sigh of relief, the boy looked at him. "What were you doing in the middle of the road? That's dangerous!"

The tone surprised the prince. Am I being scolded?

"If you weren't riding as if you own the road then this wouldn't have happened."

The boy scoffed. "Maybe, if you looked before you stepped foot on the road, you would have seen me approaching."

Jackson narrowed his eyes. "Are you insinuating that I'm an idiot?"

"No!" The boy clicked his tongue. "I'm saying you're careless!"

Jackson was taken aback. Does this kid even know who he's talking to?

"Listen, here, kid. Do –" But he wasn't able to finish his sentence when the staff he's holding earlier was thrown at him. With agile hands, he caught it.

"Where are you going!? I'm not done talking to you."

The boy looked back, his foot already positioned to ride his horse. "Look, we can fight all night or head back home to rest. I'm tired. You look tired. Let's just go on our way. If it makes you feel any better, I am sorry. Still, you shouldn't cross the road so suddenly, especially at this time of night. Everyone rides fast, believe me or not."

The boy then sat on his horse's saddle. "That reminds me, are you searching for lost sheep?"

Jackson narrowed his eyes in question. "Huh?"

"Oh, I guess not." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "Just a while ago, I saw three sheep without their herder by the town's bridge. I thought you might be the owner."

Why would I own sheep … ?

"Sorry again." And the boy turned his horse around, about to leave.

"WAIT!"

"Yeah?"

"Why would I own sheep?" He almost asked with a raised hand. However, Jackson was afraid he would be a laughing stock for asking. It sounded stupid in any way possible. So instead, he asked.

"What's your name?"

And the boy raised his brow. " … why?"

"I –uh, just wanted to know?" Jackson chuckled, although he knew his name already. "But if you don't want to, you don't have t –."

"Hiccup."

Jackson raised a brow. I thought it's Heckup? Why does it sound Hickup now?

"How is that spelled?"

The boy pursed his lips, cheeks burning red. "It is spelled as hiccup. The word, hiccup."

Jackson's knuckle made its way to his mouth, stifling his laugh. "No way? You're named Hiccup?"

The boy turned redder, reaching the entirety of his ears and neck.

"Do your parents hate you or something?" It's probably not the best comment to give because the moment he saw Hiccup's face, his laughter died on his throat.

"Real mature, jerk." And the young prince's feet were bombarded by the onslaught of mud from the horse's gallops. He stared there, watching as the horse and its rider blend in with the night and disappear from sight.

" … What happened to you? You look like … shit." Jack weighed his twin's appearance from head to toe. " … Did you fell in some kind of shithole, brother? That's one hell of an adventure right there."

Jackson ignored the inquiry, taking off the dirty coat and shirt and leaving them scattered on the floor. He headed to bathroom, thankful that bathwater was still there, albeit cold.

Removing his pants and shoes, Jackson submerged into the huge tub with a shudder, scrubbing the dirt away.

"Ugh … the water's cold."

Jack rested an arm by the door's side, leaning his weight against it. He watched his brother scrub his body clean.

"Just what happened?"

Jackson dipped his head down to the water, re-emerging with a hair flip. He scrubbed his face, grimacing when he saw the water in the tub was already murky.

"I went out."

Jack nodded.

The crown prince stood from the tub, showing the entirety of his tanned skin without any hint of shame. Stepping foot on the rug, Jackson grabbed a towel and dried his hair.

"The Princess was sneaking out so I decided to follow her."

Attention piqued, Jack crossed his arms on his chest, leaning on the door frame. "At this time of night? Wow."

"Exactly why I was curious to follow her, Jack." The crown prince smirked, throwing the towel off on the closest chair, and walked out of the bathe room naked.

Jack followed in tow, sitting on the bed with his hands on the mattress supporting his weight. "So, you found anything interesting?"

Jackson hummed. "For us, yes. I'm not sure if Jamie would appreciate my news though."

"And why's that?"

With his pants buttoned, Jackson grabbed a chair, pulling and sitting on it in front of his brother. He brushed his damp hair back, dew flew in the air. "She met with a man … no, a boy is more appropriate. I'm not sure what the boy is to her. But one thing's for sure, they seem close. Way. Too. Close."

"Oho~" Jack placed a knuckle on his lips. "Well, would you look at that? We're only here for a day and our friend already got a challenge."

Jackson stood, going to the closet.

"What's the competition like, brother?" Jack rested his chin on his palm. "Does Jamie stand a chance?"

Putting a short on, Jackson walked towards the bed and lay down carelessly. His head pillow turned wet immediately.

" … It's hard to tell."

"And why's that?" Jack inquired with a raised brow.

Jackson sat up, holding his chin in thought. "I don't know how to explain it. But the boy … looked young. Almost effeminate. I can't even tell how old he is. Maybe around fifteen?"

"Oh?" Jack plopped back to bed. "I think he's just a friend."

Jackson rolled to his side, watching his brother's face. "We can't say the princess is after looks, brother. Either way, I think Jamie has a chance." And if he's just a friend, that wouldn't be so bad. He thought to himself.

"Could you describe what the boy looks like? Your explanation is too vague."

Jackson closed his eyes; tired and weary. "How about I show him to you later?" He yawned, stretching like a cat. "It's better if you see him for yourself." And you might be able to recognize him … as I fail to do so. He added on his mind because until this moment, the familiarity nags at him.

"Mhmm," hummed Jack, lulling himself back to sleep.

"How can you two wake up this late!?" Jamie fussed over the twin's coats, patting nonexistent wrinkles on its cloth. The sun was already high up in the sky, putting the young companion on edge believing that being late would make a very bad impression on their awaiting tour guide.

The twin princes looked at him bored. Jack even had the audacity to yawn.

"The princess would be so mad at us for this! Have you no shame!? Jack fix your bed head!"

Jack snorted while Jackson stood in front of the mirror, checking his appearance.

"Relax, Jamie." Jack soon provided, fixing his hair as ordered. "We woke up late for a reason."

"And that would be?" Jamie inquired the crown prince, only for the twins to look at each other with smugness in their eyes.

"Later," said the crown prince.

"We'll see." Jack patted Jamie by the shoulder.

The brown-haired companion grumbled in defeat. Best, he waited than insist. As he collected the twin's scattered clothing, he noticed several items that he believed to be out of place.

Picking up the soiled cape, Jamie raised a brow, glancing at the twin princes who were busy checking their appearance by the mirror.

"What this doing here?" He asked, picking up another item, which happened to be the shepherd's staff. "Why do you have this?" He twirled it like a baton.

Jack pointed at his brother, mouthing "Not me."

"Jackson?"

Sheepishly, Jackson scratched the back of his head. "That's one the reasons. Hehe."

With a deadpan expression on his face, Jamie's irritation made itself known. " … you have a lot of explaining to do."

Jack snorted. "You're dead."

Hissing, Jackson smiled apologetically.

I apologize for the uneventful chapter. This is what I can make up for now with my limited time.