A Little Destiny, a Little Fate, and What's Written in the Stars

by Roseisarose123

Fate is a funny thing, it can be mysterious, it can be illusive, but it's always there. Some people spend their whole lives chasing it, while others try to avoid it. But sometimes we meet our fate on the very road that we take to avoid it. * FYI- made a small change to ch 10(11)due to sm. discrepancy in my timeline, making it 8 yrs after HTTYD1 rather than 5 yrs.*

35. Repression

Chapter 35

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Little five-year-old Eret awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of his mother's sobs. His eyes wide with fear and confusion, he sat up in his bed, clutching his knitted blanket tightly in one hand and the wooden dragon his father had just given him in the other. He remained still as he peered into the darkness of his room, listening carefully. He could hear both his mother and father's hushed and muffled voices talking in the next room, but he could not quite make out what they were saying. Slowly and cautiously, he slipped from his bed, and with blanket and toy dragon still in hand, he tip-toed quietly toward his bedroom door. He opened the door the tiniest amount and peered out. He could see his mother pacing before his father, the dim orange glow of the firelight casting her shadow upon the far wall. He could just make out the silhouette of his father standing before her. He could see that his mother was visibly upset, and his father was trying his best to comfort her. He carefully poked his head out of the room to better hear what they were saying.

"It was just a dream Inghean," Eret said soothingly, "nothing more."

"Ye dinnae understand," his mother said tearfully, "tis nae just a dream, tis a warning! Ye cannae go back this time...please dinnae go."

"Inghean you know I have to go," Eret replied, "I can't risk the chief's suspicions, If I don't go back, he'll suspect me for certain."

"I dinnae care," Inghean cried, "we can run away, we can hide."

"Is that what you really want," Eret asked, "to be on the run for the rest of our lives, constantly looking over our shoulders, always in fear? I...I won't do that to you...tolittle Eret. Not after everything I've put you through already..."

"None of that matters now," Inghean replied, "all that matters now is ye and I... our family. As long as we're together...alive n' safe...that is all that matters to me."

"That is the only thing that matters to me too," Eret replied emotionally, "you and little Eret are everything to me...all I want is to be with you...together...safe..." Eret paused for a long moment as if he were willing himself to continue.

"But we wouldn't be safe," Eret said firmly, "not for long. I can't risk that after everything we've been through...after all that we've sacrificed."

"Eret...please," Inghean pleaded.

"I told you," Eret replied, his voice firm, "he's been expanding his reach, he has contacts in nearly every port. Yes, we could run...but it wouldn't be long until they found me...and if they find me they will find out about you and Eret. If that were to happen, I wouldn't be able to protect you. At least if you and Eret are here, I will know you're safe...and I can do what I have to do knowing that you both will be cared for."

"I cannae lose ye Eret," Inghean sobbed, "I cannae lose ye like I lost everyone else...yer all I have."

"You are not going to lose me Inghean," Eret whispered, "I know you are afraid. Believe me, I have the same fears you do, but I simply cannot let you and little Eret live in constant fear. Running is not an option, not at the risk of you and Eret. This voyage won't be any different than any others before it and it's certainly not any more dangerous than the last. I'll do his bidding without incident and then I'll be back before you know it."

"But it is different," Inghean cried, "yer nae listening...it's different this time." Eret sat forward quickly wrapping his arms around her tightly and kissed her forehead gently. Her sobs quieted slightly as she found some comfort in his arms.

"Whatever you saw Inghean," Eret replied, "it's just your fear getting the better of you. It doesn't matter. I promise you, no matter what happens...I will always be with you," Eret replied, "and I will always come back... Just trust me."She pulled away from him and looked at him with tears still welling up in her eyes.

"I do trust ye," Inghean replied tearfully, "I trust ye with my whole heart... but I cannae shake the feelin' that somethin' is terribly wrong! Somethin' bad is goin' tae happen…I can feel it in mah bones." Eret quickly pulled her back to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Hush now," he whispered softly as he continued to hold her close against him, "I know you're afraid, but it will all be okay." He gently ran his fingers over her soft mahogany hair, trying his best to soothe her fears.

"I love you my Isla," Eret said softly, "I love you... There is nothing and nobody in this world that can keep me from you. No matter what happens, I'll do whatever it takes to come back to you... I promise I will always find my way back to you."

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Eret's eyes shot open suddenly. The dream still fresh in his mind, he tried to sit up quickly but was stopped by the sharp pain shooting through his ribs. He groaned as he slowly laid back down, clutching his chest in support. He laid there for a moment gazing up at the roof of the cave, his vision blurry with unfallen tears that had welled up in his eyes during his restless slumber. He felt a throbbing pain in his chest and a feeling like he was suffocating, which he was certain could not be attributed to his injury. He quickly covered his eyes with his hands, to wipe the tears away before they even had a chance to fall. His head was spinning as the visions of the dream continued to run through his mind. It felt like the dream was more than a dream, it was so real...so detailed. He was perturbed by the strange vision, it made no sense to him. It seemed to go against all he ever knew of his father and the reasons why he had abandoned his family. But the more he pondered this, the more familiar the events seemed to become.

It was more than a dream... it was a heartbreaking memory; one that he had long forgotten...or purposely had pushed to the deepest recesses of his mind. It was the last memory he had of his father before the day that he left for the last time. Eret furrowed his brow as he continued to silently ponder the ominous dream, trying his best to recall the details of the event that he had all but blocked out. Something more had happened, something he could not quite remember. He was certain that the dream was trying to tell him what that was. But Eret's heart ached as he replayed the memory over and over in his head. His mother's tearful words still fresh in his mind.

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"I do trust ye... I trust ye with my whole heart... but I cannae shake the feelin' that somethin' is terribly wrong! Somethin' bad is goin' tae happen...I ...I can feel it in mah bones."

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He'd forgotten the shakiness in his mother's voice that night as she pleaded with his father. She had been afraid...truly afraid to lose him and no matter what his father told her…it seemed she had been right to be afraid. But why exactly was his mother so afraid on this specific occasion? Why hadn't his father listened to her? Why had his father completely disregarded her warnings? As Eret thought about his father he couldn't stop the feelings of anger and hurt from welling up inside him. When it came down to it, Eret's father had a choice that night and, despite his mother's fears and her painful pleas, he still chose to leave. Worst of all he had made a promise to her that he could not keep. He left her alone with a young child and little more than soothing words and empty promises.

Eret sighed heavily as he thought about it. Perhaps there were reasons, beyond the understanding of his five-year-old self, for why his father had left them. But, regardless of his reasons, Eret could not forget what his father had done to them, for abandoning him, for hurting his mother. His father had broken his mother's heart and Eret simply could not forgive him for that.

He sighed heavily once again as he tried to push the dream from his tired mind. He silently cursed whatever it was that was causing him to relive these painful memories, memories he hadn't thought of in years, not since he was a boy. After his mother died, Eret had pushed most of these memories to the back of his mind, locked them away in the darkest recesses never to be thought of again. It was the only way he knew then to make the hurt stop. He made up his past and lived by his fictional history for years. The truth was simply too painful to bear.

As Eret laid upon the floor of the cave, silently mulling over his arduous thoughts, he began to wonder what the significance of it all was. Only hours ago, he had awakened to the sound of Merida singing his mother's song, he had come to the startling realization that his familiarity with Merida was because she had reminded him of his mother. He silently thought back to the words from Astrid's letter.

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"Each of the letters was marked with a wax seal. The symbol that was pressed into the wax is nearly identical to the one on your pendant.

As unbelievable as it is, I wonder if Dunbroch might be the homeland that your father searched for all his life. If it's true, then you might be just as connected to Dunbroch as Hiccup is."

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It seemed Astrid was onto something, but perhaps this place was actually his mother's lost home, rather than his father's. Still, Astrid had found nearly three-hundred-year-old letters from Merida's ancestor to Hiccup's great, great grandfather, marked with the symbol on his pendant. How was that possible? The only explanation that made sense was that either one of his parents had a connection to this place. The symbol that matched his father's pendant, which suggested his father's very possible connection to Dunbroch. But now there were so many more details that seemed to suggest that his mother might actually be the one with a connection to Dunbroch. Her accent was nearly the mirror of Merida's, he couldn't even fathom why it hadn't occurred to him before. The song that his mother sang, was the same that Merida had sung only hours ago, the sayings that Merida said were all also familiar and similar to those of his mother. Then there was the feelings of familiarity he felt for Merida, how everything about her reminded him of his mother. It now seemed far more plausible that his mother had been connected to Dunbroch all along, maybe she even had a connection to Merida herself. Eret shook his head in disbelief as the thought occurred to him. Up until now he wanted little to do with learning any more about his family's past. His father's obsession with the past had stolen a lifetime with his family, and Eret had no desire to follow in his father's footsteps. As far as he was concerned, he could go on with the rest of his life happily without knowing anything more about his father. But at the idea that he might have stumbled upon his mother's lost home and family Eret was intrigued. He began to wonder if this all meant that his mother might actually have been a direct descendent of Merida's great great grandmother. But still that explanation seemed off. Eret couldn't help but to feel that he was missing something.

According to Astrid, she was headed to Eystribyggð, she was probably there at this moment. Perhaps Astrid would find something there to fill in the gaps. Regardless, Astrid was coming to Dunbroch with at least the letters in tow, and maybe whatever proof she could find in Eystribyggð, that could tie all of this together. Perhaps it was time to tell Hiccup everything he had thus far kept to himself.

Carefully and cautiously Eret sat up clutching his ribs in support. He found that Hiccup was no longer sitting across from him like he had been earlier. He looked around curiously, Merida was also missing. But he could hear muffled and barely audible voices coming from outside the cave. He stood up slowly and headed in the direction of the voices in hopes of finding Hiccup and Merida.

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Hiccup and Merida emerged from the cave to find that the rain had mostly let up. Now it was merely a light drizzle. While their number one priority was to head back to camp, both could not bring themselves to wake the others, just yet. They had all been through a lot today, and they thought it best to let their injured friends sleep, at least for a little while longer anyway.

Both Toothless and Skull crusher had stayed outside guarding the cave just in case the kelpie might choose to make another appearance. Hiccup was fairly certain that the kelpie was only protecting its territory and most likely would not stray far from the lake or Adag, but one could never be too careful.

Upon exiting the cave, he greeted his old friend happily.

"Hey bud," Hiccup said with a grin, "sorry you had to sit out here in the rain." Toothless nudged him affectionately. Hiccup nudged him back, to which Toothless then playfully knocked him to the ground and licked his face.

"Oh, come on bud," Hiccup laughed, "you know I hate dragon drool...ugh." The dragon responded by licking him once more. Merida came up beside Hiccup and smiled warmly at the sight of the Viking and dragon being playful.

"Okay that's it," Hiccup said as he grabbed the dragon by the neck and attempted to get him into a headlock. But Toothless stood up without difficulty, leaving Hiccup dangling from his neck. Merida could not help but laugh at the humorous sight. Hiccup let go of the dragon and plopped to the ground. He turned his attention to Merida as he remained sitting in front of Toothless. His heart nearly melted at the sight of her bright smile, and the sound of her infectious laugh.

"What," he chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked at her, "what is so funny?"

"Ye are," Merida smiled as she offered him a hand, "ye 'n' that wily dragon o' yers. The two o' ye play like my brothers." Hiccup smiled at her comparison as he slipped his hand in hers and allowed her to help him to his feet. He winced slightly and gripped the wound on his side with his opposite hand as he cautiously stood up.

"Toothless is like my brother," Hiccup smiled, "isn't that right bud?" He reached over and gently scratched the dragon behind the ear causing him to purr softly. He turned back to Merida with a warm smile.

"Speaking of brothers," Hiccup said as he took a step closer to her, "you said you have three, right?"

"Aye," Merida confirmed with a smile, "Harris, Haemish, and Hubert."

"Hmm...all "H" names huh," Hiccup replied with a grin, "interesting."

"Aye, what of it," Merida questioned in amusement.

"Nothing, nothing," Hiccup chuckled, "it's just, uh… nice to know that your mom is also partial to "H" names...maybe there's hope for me yet. Maybe she won't be so opposed to adding another 'H' name to the family." He raised an eyebrow at her as he spoke. Merida chuckled at Hiccup's comment.

"She'll not judge ye by yer name alone," Merida replied haughtily, "but by the content o' yer character."

"So what you're saying is… I pretty much have this in the bag then," Hiccup replied smugly.

"That depends," Merida replied in amusement, "do ye plan on bein' this smug with my mother?" Hiccup chuckled at her comment.

"Okay, ixnay on smugness," Hiccup replied, "got it."

"Are ye takin' notes now," Merida questioned.

"Absolutely," Hiccup replied raising an eyebrow at her, "do you really think I'd just waltz into the palace unprepared? This is my one opportunity to prove that I'm worthy and that we belong together. I'm not leaving anything to chance." Merida smiled up at him warmly.

"Ya know," Hiccup started, "I uh...I was thinking a little about your mom's story before...well, before everything you told me today, and I wanna run something by you." Merida looked up at him curiously.

"Okay," she replied, gazing back at him questioningly.

"I was thinking that maybe I could look into the attack on her village a little further, maybe find out who the Northern Invaders really were," Hiccup replied.

"How exactly would ye go about doing that," Merida questioned. Hiccup shrugged as he pondered her question.

"Well, a few ways," Hiccup explained, "the first and most obvious would be to talk to the witnesses."

"Ye mean my mum," Merida replied tentatively.

"Well...yeah," Hiccup replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, "and also maybe the people in her village. All I really need is a good description of the Vikings, or their long boats, or even better, the emblem on their sails...then I could pretty easily figure it out." Merida remained quiet for a long moment as she thought over his suggestion.

"I was sorta talking a little bit to Eret about it yesterday," Hiccup replied, "I just thought that maybe if we can find out who the invaders were, that maybe we could figure out what really happened to Isla. And since the plan is to come forward tomorrow, maybe I could suggest it to your mother. I... I just thought that if I can help her like get some closure...maybe it will help her to see me differently than them."

"I'm not sure," Merida replied, "I...I mean it was really hard for my mum to even tell me about Isla...I really don't see her openin' up tae ye about it. It would just be like... openin' an old wound." Hiccup nodded in understanding as he dropped his eyes from hers.

"I get it," Hiccup replied, "it was just a thought. But maybe you're right, maybe bringing up Isla to your mom right when I meet her is not really the greatest idea. But I could still look into it just for your own knowledge...I could still go to her old village and ask around."

"That might be an even worse idea," Merida replied. Hiccup furrowed his brow at Merida's comment.

"How so," Hiccup questioned.

"Well, aside from the obvious, ye bein' a Viking askin' the villagers about a previous Viking attack," Merida replied, "I don't know that ye'll be well received there in the next coming days."

"Why is that," Hiccup asked flatly.

"Conflict of interest," Merida replied vaguely. Hiccup gazed back at her skeptically with a smirk upon his face.

"Care to elaborate princess," Hiccup replied in a sarcastic tone.

"My mother doesn't hale from Dunbroch," Merida replied simply, "her old village belongs to Clan Macintosh." Hiccup furrowed his brow at her comment.

"Clan Macintosh," Hiccup questioned, "as in Ryan Macintosh." Merida nodded.

"Wait...are you saying that your mom is a Macintosh? Is...is she related to Ryan," Hiccup questioned, "please don't tell my you and Ryan are like distant cousins or something!" Merida chuckled at Hiccup's concern.

"Not in the least," she replied. "My mother is a Macleod. My grandfather, Lord Harris Macleod, had two daughters, Isla and my mother, but no son to be his successor. So, when he died, Clan Macleod was simply passed to my grandfather's chosen successor who is now Lord Macintosh."

"Ryan's father," Hiccup questioned. Merida nodded in confirmation.

"Okay," Hiccup sighed in resignation, "so, a great big 'No' on visiting your mom's village then... for now anyway. I still think that it could be worth looking into though."

"You're right," Merida replied, "it might be...but just let my mum get to know ye first, to see that she can trust ye as I do...it's probably going to take a while." Hiccup nodded in understanding.

"So…, since I am going to meet you family tomorrow" Hiccup sighed with a smile as he changed the subject, "maybe you could tell me a little more about them. What are these brothers of yours like?"

"Well…they are triplets," Merida replied with a smile, "identical in fact."

"Identical," Hiccup questioned in interest, "how do you tell them apart?" Merida shrugged.

"Well, I always could tell them apart," Merida replied, "they may look alike but they coudnae be more different. Harris is sort o' th' lead troublemaker, Hubert is nearly always Harris' eager sidekick, n' Haemish is thoughtful, timid and reserved...for the most part. Unless of course, he's embroiled in one o' Harris' hair-brained schemes to prank Maudie...or spoil their supper wi' nicked sweet rolls." Hiccup chuckled at Merida's description.

"They sound... interesting," Hiccup replied.

"Aye th' wee devils will definitely keep ye on yer toes," Merida replied, "that's for certain."

"Even so," Hiccup replied with a smile, "I actually am sort of looking forward to meeting them. I uh, I never had any siblings. It will be interesting getting to know them." Merida smiled warmly at his comment, as she gazed up at him.

"Well, believe it o' not, the wee devils are actually rather anxious tae meet ye as well," Merida replied as she raised an eyebrow at him. Hiccup grinned back at her.

"Really," he questioned somewhat skeptically. Merida nodded.

"Aye, after I came clean about ye, they practically begged me to tag along today," Merida admitted. Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Even though I'm a Viking," Hiccup questioned. Merida nodded with a smile on her face.

"And you're certain they didn't want to tag along, because they wanted to get close enough to kill me or anything," Hiccup questioned with a wry grin, "I mean, your mom taught them to fear my kind just as she taught you." Merida nodded.

"Well, at first when I told them, they were upset." Merida replied, "and they wanted to run to mum immediately and tell her ever'thing. Honestly, I thought for certain that we were done for." Hiccup gazed at her in intrigue.

"How exactly did you convince them not to," Hiccup questioned.

"I just told them the truth," Merida replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders, "I told them that I trust ye completely, ...that yer a good and kind person and that ye have no interest in invadin' Dunbroch. I also told them that I care about ye and that I know yer heart."

"And they believed you," Hiccup questioned, "just like that…no questions asked?"

"Oh, they had plenty o' questions alright," Merida replied, "including why ye haven't come forward yet if ye have nothin' tae hide." Hiccup furrowed his brow at her words, as he gazed back at her in concern.

"Don't worry," Merida responded immediately, "I told them it wasn't yer fault, I told them that ye wanted to come forward, but that I was too afraid to let ye." Hiccup nodded at her words.

"What did they say," Hiccup questioned cautiously.

"Pretty much exactly what you said," Merida replied, "that I need to take a chance and tell mum ever'thing, that I should tell her before she finds out on her own. All advice that I truly took to heart."

"They seem pretty wise for ten-year-olds," Hiccup replied with a grin.

"Aye, they definitely have their moments," Merida replied, "which usually are followed by a hair-brained scheme or two." Hiccup chuckled at her words.

"But all that aside," Merida continued, "my brothers and I sort of have an understandin' ever since the bear incident. I have their backs, and they have mine…and they trust my judgment."

"The bear incident," Hiccup questioned.

"Aye, I don't think I ever told ye aboot that part o' it," Merida replied, "see, the spell that the witch gave me was a potion. There was absolutely no way that I would've gotten my mother to willingly drink a magic potion... so, I baked it into a bramble tart... and I gave it to her as a peace offering." Merida winced slightly as she awaited Hiccup's response. Hiccup furrowed his brow at her answer.

"You tricked her...with a pastry," he questioned in amusement.

"It was the only way I could think of to give her the spell," Merida sighed, "but she only had one bite and it made her sick...she rushed off to her room, leavin' the tart just sittin' there on the table in the scullery, and I ran after her to see if the spell was workin'. The boys, bein' the devils they are, stole th' tart for themselves, n' split it between the three o' them." Hiccup's eyes went wide at the realization of what she had said.

"You don't mean..." Hiccup began.

"Aye," Merida grimaced, "my three brothers also transformed into three wee bear cubs."

"For real," he stammered. Merida nodded with a regretful expression on her face.

"Long story short," Merida continued, "when my dad discovered my mum in bear form...he freaked out, he thought the bear had taken my mum...not that the bear was my mum. He was fixed on huntin' her down. When I tried to stop him, he locked me in my room to keep me safe. The boys helped me escape so I could go after my dad to stop him. Ye know the rest."

"I can't believe you turned your mom and brothers into bears with a pastry," Hiccup chuckled. Merida smirked up at him.

"Aye, I felt bad enough as it is," Merida replied, "I don't need ye to make me feel any worse about it." Hiccup chuckled at her words.

"Well at least it all worked itself out," Hiccup replied with a grin, "and I bet your brothers made really cute bears too." Merida rolled her eyes playfully.

"Oh…ridiculously adorable as a matter o' fact," Merida agreed with a chuckle. Hiccup chuckled at her answer.

"Well, anyway, since then, th' wee devil's n' I have each other's backs, as I said," Merida reiterated, "I keep them oot o' trouble as best I can, n' they do th' same for me. Not to mention they tell me like it is, without holdin' back. They are th' only ones in Dunbroch I can count on to always be blatantly honest with me. And, as I said, part o' th' reason that I decided to talk to mum this morn, is because they also suggested it." Hiccup leaned slightly closer to her, gazing warmly into her blue eyes with an avid smile upon his face.

"So, they are full of good advice, blatantly honest, loyal to a fault, and a little bit devilish... gee...I wonder where they get all of that from," Hiccup questioned satirically. Merida smiled warmly up at him with a glint of amusement in her eyes and a slight blush upon her cheeks.

"Devilish," Merida exclaimed in mock offense, "how exactly am I devilish?"

"Uh...hello, you tried to kill me the second we met," Hiccup smirked.

"That was not devilish," Merida replied, "that was self-defense!" Hiccup chuckled at her comment.

"How was it self-defense? I was basically unarmed," Hiccup replied defensively, "and about to surrender. But you shot at me before I even had the chance!"

"How was I to know that at the time," Merida huffed.

"Oh, I don't know," Hiccup replied flatly, "when I said that I mean you no harm I thought it was pretty obvious."

"Right, just before yer dragon nearly took my head off," Merida replied. Hiccup playfully rolled his eyes.

"Well, you also turned half your family into bears," Hiccup continued, "ran away from home, punched a guy for kissing you, stayed out past your curfew, fraternize with Vikings in the woods and destroyed a perfectly good dress fighting off a kelpie." Merida smirked back at Hiccup as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"See," Hiccup said assuredly as he leaned a little closer to her, "you can be devilish...when you want to be."

"Whatever, ye glaikit Viking" Merida groaned playfully. Hiccup chuckled at her response.

"Have I ever told you how adorable you are when you're flustered," Hiccup smiled. Merida rolled her eyes at Hiccup's comment.

"Have I ever told ye how annoyin' ye are when yer tryin' to be smug," Merida questioned. Hiccup snickered at her comment.

"Completely adorable," he grinned playfully. Merida audibly groaned as she playfully pushed Hiccup's shoulder causing him to laugh once more.

"Okay…okay her grinned.

"Ya know, I think I like your brothers already," Hiccup said changing the subject once again.

"Is that so," she replied looking up at him blithely with an eyebrow raised. Hiccup nodded as he slowly reached forward, taking her hands in his, and gently intertwining their fingers.

"Of course," Hiccup replied with a warm genuine smile, "they don't even know me yet, but they're already willing to give me a chance... just like someone else I know." He raised an eyebrow at her in return as he spoke. Merida smirked up at him.

"Aye it was pretty foolish o' me to take ye at yer word," Merida replied facetiously, "for all I knew ye were nothin' more than a heartless plunderer." Hiccup chuckled at her comment.

"Maybe it was foolish," Hiccup replied with a smirk, "but can I help it if I'm so adorable that you just couldn't resist me." Merida furrowed her brow at his comment.

"Oh really," Merida questioned in amusement. Hiccup chuckled as he leaned slightly closer to her.

"You don't have to deny it," he replied teasingly, "I know it was love at first sight." Merida abruptly pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest once more as she smirked back at him.

"Aye, first sight bein' ye in full armor," Merida replied flatly, "comin' at me with my own arrow in hand n' scaring me half tae death!"

"Hey, I was not coming at you," Hiccup replied dismissively, "I had my hands up. I was trying to show you that I meant no harm by giving you back your arrow, a-and besides, you like my armor." He raised an eyebrow at her as he spoke. Merida smirked playfully in return.

"I suppose that's why I shot at ye," Merida responded, "because I was so overwhelmed by the sight o' ye in yer armor, that I could think o' nothin' else."

"What can I say," Hiccup replied with a shrug, "sometimes I have that effect on women. They don't know whether to kiss me or beat me over the head with my… metal shank...was it?" Merida couldn't contain her laughter.

"Lord, what have I gotten m'self into," Merida replied with a shake of her head, "careful, ye may end up as smug as Ryan, if ye keep this up." Hiccup chuckled at her comment.

"By Odin, please don't compare me to that guy," Hiccup replied amidst his laughter, "I think I've heard his name more than enough today, thanks." Merida chuckled at his response.

"Sorry," she replied in amusement, "no more talk o' Ryan."

"Okay, so…. not love at first sight then," Hiccup replied with an amused grin, "for you anyway." Merida raised an eyebrow at his comment.

"Are ye sayin' it was love at first sight for you," Merida questioned.

"Most definitely first sight," Hiccup replied, "and second, and third, and forth..."

"Now, yer just bein' coy," Merida replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Am not," Hiccup retorted defensively. He smirked at her as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm being serious...I fell for you pretty much immediately." Merida furrowed her brow at him dubiously.

"We tried to kill each other at first glance," Merida replied in amusement.

"Uh...correction...you tried to kill me...and my dragon," Hiccup replied, "I did nothing of the sort."

"Yer sayin' ye fell for me after I shot at ye with an arrow," Merida replied questioningly, "and I basically said that all Viking's were better off dead?"

"What, you don't believe me," Hiccup replied in defense, "I can tell you the exact moment that I fell for you."

"Oh, ye can, can ye," Merida questioned. Hiccup nodded as he grinned back at her.

"It was when I jumped in between you and Toothless the day we met," Hiccup replied without pause, "I was so focused on Toothless and trying to get him to back down that I hadn't really looked at you. But then, when I turned around and actually saw you for the first time,...I felt like my heart was beating so fast it might burst right through my chest. I was taken with you immediately." Merida rolled her eyes.

"Ye told me that ye didn't know for certain until the night on my balcony," she replied haughtily.

"That's when I knew it with my head," Hiccup replied with a grin, "but I'm pretty sure my heart knew it immediately...it just took a while for my head to catch up." Merida smiled warmly at his answer.

"Is that so," she questioned airily. Hiccup grinned at her as he took a few steps closer.

"Oh, unequivocally so," he replied assuredly. He leaned forward gently resting his forehead against hers and gazed into her blue eyes longingly. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist. Merida gazed back at him with a loving smile.

"Just ask Toothless," Hiccup replied nodding in the dragon's direction, "he even knew long before I did."

"Toothless," Merida replied questioningly. She pulled away from him and looked up at him disbelievingly. Hiccup nodded as he continued to grin back at her.

"Toothless has been dropping hints pretty much from day one," Hiccup replied in amusement, "do you really think that when he knocked you into my arms that first day that it was just an accident?" Merida raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Wait...," Merida questioned, "are ye sayin' he did that... on purpose?" Hiccup nodded as he gazed back at her mirthfully with a wide grin upon his face.

"Yup," he replied matter-of-factly, "he pretty much admitted to it right after you left that day. Turns out, Toothless has had a good feeling about us from the very start, which is pretty interesting considering the nature of your first meeting. Not to mention, the overgrown gecko would not stop pestering me about my feelings for you, despite my insistence that we were just friends. In fact, the only reason I even entertained the idea that you might have feelings for me at all was because Toothless insisted that you did, before that I thought I was just kidding myself."

"Do dragons typically play matchmaker," Merida mused. Hiccup grinned as he stepped closer to her once more, gently resting his hands upon her hips.

"It's not something dragons are typically known for," Hiccup replied with a raised eyebrow, "but on occasion...they do have good instincts about that sort of thing."

"Really," Merida questioned haughtily.

"Come to think of it," Hiccup went on as he thought more on the subject, "I think I sort of recall Stormfly taking an instant liking to Eret initially... which is kind of ironic given how things turned out." Merida furrowed her brow at Hiccup's statement.

"Stormfly," Merida questioned.

"Oh...uh...that's uh... Astrid's dragon," Hiccup replied, "she's a Deadly Nader."

"Deadly Nader," Merida replied as if sounding out the words, "that's a type o' dragon?" Hiccup nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, uh hold on," Hiccup replied as he reached to his pocket for his notebook, "I know I have a sketch of her somewhere in here." He pulled the book from his pocket and opened the back cover. He then flipped forward a few pages until he found what he was looking for. He held the book out to Merida. Merida took the book from his hand and gazed at the image of the dragon curiously. It was a large dragon, very different from Toothless, Skull crusher and Meatlug. It had a large head and slender body with bright yellow spikes atop the crown of its head and stretching down its back to the tip of its tail, and far more brightly colored. Its body was adorned with pale blue and yellow scales. It stood on two legs with its wings folded at its sides. Merida gently traced the lines of the image as she continued to gaze at it.

"It's so pretty," Merida marveled, "it's so much more colorful than the others." Hiccup nodded.

"Deadly Naders are usually brightly colored, "Hiccup replied, "this is just Stormfly's colors. Some have more blue, purple or green...I've even seen teal and rose colored Naders." Hiccup reached over Merida and flipped a few more pages forward to another image of a nest of baby Deadly Naders, all of which were different colors. Merida gazed in awe of the cute little dragons.

"They are so cute," Merida cooed. Hiccup chuckled.

"Cute...and deadly," Hiccup replied, "any one of these little guys could quite literally burn your castle down with you in it...ya know if they go untrained anyway. Once you get on their good side, they are loyal to a fault. Merida closed the book and handed it back to Hiccup.

"Well," Merida sighed as she smiled up at him brightly, "ye'll have to remind me to thank Toothless later." Hiccup grinned at her words.

"Oh don't worry princess," he replied with a sigh, "I'm fairly certain that I'll be thanking him for the rest of my life."

"Is that so," Merida questioned as she raised an eyebrow at him playfully. Hiccup leaned forward once more gently resting his forehead against hers as he drew himself closer to her.

"Without a doubt," Hiccup replied softly. He leaned forward capturing her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. He pulled away slowly, gazing lovingly into her pale blue eyes. Merida smiled up at him warmly.

"Ye've seen so many amazin' creatures and places," Merida said enviously.

"I traveled quite a bit studying dragons before I officially became chief. I even spent a bit of time living at Dragon's Edge." Merida gazed at Hiccup curiously.

"Uh…Dragon's Edge is sort of an outpost to Berk," Hiccup explained, me and my riders established it and we utilized it quite a lot before….. After my dad died, I took over as chief and pretty much haven't been back to Dragon's Edge in years."

"I think I'd like to see it one day," Merida replied dreamily, "and Berk…I want to see your home, and yer people and all the different dragons that live there." Hiccup smiled warmly at her words, his heart fluttering at the idea of taking Merida to Berk to meet his people, to show her all of his childhood home, as well as introduce her to Valka.

"One day," Hiccup smiled, "when all this suitor business is settled, and you and I are betrothed…I promise I'll take you."

"Really," Merida smiled up at him brightly. Hiccup nodded as he chuckled slightly at her enthusiasm.

"Of course," Hiccup replied in amusement, "I'll take you to Dragon's Edge, Berk, Glacier Island, Melody Island, and all the other interesting places I've been to over the years." He smiled warmly at the expression of amazement on her face.

"Are you really that surprised that I would," Hiccup questioned in amusement.

"Just excited," Merida smiled, "ye know, I…I've ne'er been anywhere, ne'er left Dunbroch. I've ne'er even visited our neighboring clans before." Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"For real," he questioned curiously. Merida nodded.

"I suppose that's why I run off to the woods so often," she replied, "to escape the monotony, there is only so much adventure to be found in the village o' Dunbroch. Of course, my mother ne'er once hesitated to tell me that princess's dinnae go on adventures. But now knowin' what she's been through, I suppose she was only tryin' tae keep me safe."

"Your mom loves you Merida," Hiccup replied, "despite everything, she's on your side...just like your brothers said."

"I know," Merida replied softly.

"So..." Hiccup sighed, "what about your dad?" Merida looked up at him questioningly.

"I know more about your mom and your brother's," Hiccup explained, "and I know that your dad agrees with Mairead's opinion on Berk...but what else can you tell me about him?"

"Well," Merida sighed, "he's a fairly tolerant king and a true leader. He's brave and honorable and will do whatever he needs to do to protect and care for his people. He started his reign in the midst of the war with the Vikings. He led the clans to victory against the northern invaders. But above all of that, he's a good father, he's always lookin' out for me and my brothers. I've uh...sort o' always been a lot closer to my dad, then with my mum."

"Why is that," Hiccup questioned. Merida shrugged.

"I guess because he accepts me the way I am more," Merida replied, "my mum was always tryin' to change me into somethin' Im just not. Don't get me wrong things have been a lot better between my mum and I ever since the bear incident, but sometimes I still feel like she is a little disappointed in me and how I turned out." Hiccup furrowed his brow as he pondered her words.

"My dad on the other hand," Merida continued, "always sort of encouraged me to be who I am, much to my mother's chagrin. He taught me how to fight, and ride, and shoot. He gave me my first bow. When I was ten years old I asked him for my own horse. But he didn't get me a trained, dainty light breed. He brought me young wild stallion, completely unbroken. My mum nearly doubled over, for fear that the horse would seriously injure me. I have to admit I was a bit fearful myself. But dad said that if I wanted my own horse, I'd have to train him myself. He said the bond between rider and horse needed to be forged in trust and respect. The best way to gain my horses trust was to start from the very beginning. It took nearly a year of patience and hard work, but it paid off, now Angus and I share a bond unlike any other."

"Just like me and Toothless," Hiccup replied. Merida nodded in agreement.

My dad is a good man, he's wise, and a good listener, and gives good advice. But he's also loud n' boistrous, an' funny," Merida went on, "and he loves a good adventure story...both tellin' 'em n' hearin' 'em, but especially tellin' 'em. I cannot tell ye how many times I've heard about his battle with Mor'du. I could probably quote it word for word, by now."

"Mor'du," Hiccup questioned.

"Aye, the demon bear o' Dunbroch," Merida replied.

"Uh did you just say demon-bear," Hiccup questioned in intrigue.

"Aye," Merida replied, "he was an evil cursed creature, standing over thirteen feet high. He terrorized the highlands for decades. It was said that he possessed the strength of ten men and was virtually unstoppable. Many a Scotsman tried and failed...including my father, but he at least survived." Hiccup furrowed his brow as he gazed back at her curiously.

"That's why they call my father the bear king," Merida continued, "He took on Mor'du and lived to tell the tale."

"Really," Hiccup questioned." Merida nodded.

"Aye," Merida confirmed, "but I'll spare ye the details, as my father will quite enjoy tellin' ye the tale himself. But basically, he faced the demon bear head on to protect me and mum and lost his leg in the process. For years he swore that Mor'du had it in for him, after havin' had a taste o' his leg." Hiccup chuckled slightly.

"That reminds me of Gobber back home," Hiccup replied.

"Gobber," Merida questioned, "is that another of yer dragon riders?"

"No," Hiccup replied, "he's the blacksmith...my dad's best friend, and sort of my mentor for practically my whole life. Like I said before, my dad never thought I was cut out to fight dragons...so when I was just a kid, dad set me to work at the smithy to keep me out of trouble, though I'm fairly certain that he hoped working the smithy might bulk me up a bit too. Anyway, Gobber lost a leg and an arm during the war. Before we made peace with the dragons, Gobber used to swear that the dragons had it in for him. He said that the dragon that took his hand thought he was so delicious that he spread the word to all his dragon friends. And within a month another dragon took his leg."

"I'm tellin' ye," Merida replied in amusement, "Viking's and Scots are most definitely cut from the same cloth. It might be from different ends, but it's the same cloth, nonetheless." Hiccup chuckled at her analogy.

"I'm seriously beginning to think you're right," Hiccup replied as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"So... you said your dad faced Mor'du to protect you," Hiccup replied, "what exactly happened?"

"From what I can recall, we were off campin in the woods," Merida explained, "I was just a wee lass...it was my 5th birthday. I remember it the most because my father gave me my first bow. I was so excited, and I wanted to try shootin' it on my own. When I tried, I missed the target, the arrow went off into the woods and I went to fetch it. Some of it is a bit of a blur now, but one thing I do remember was that I saw a will o' th' wisp for the first time."

"You saw a wisp when you were just a kid," Hiccup questioned. Merida nodded.

"Aye, the wisps led me oot o' th' woods n' back to my mother," Merida replied, "thinkin' about it now, I believe that Mor'du must have been stalkin' me when I went to fetch my arrow. I'm fairly certain that the wisps were tryin' to lead me away from him. But, only moments after I reached my mum, Mor'du came after us. My father jumped in to save us both. We narrowly escaped while my father and his men stayed behind to fight Mor'du off." Hiccup continued to gaze at her in curiosity as he silently pondered her tale. Merida gazed back at him uncertain as to what he might be thinking exactly.

"What," Merida questioned self-conciously. Hiccup smiled slightly in return.

"Nothing," he replied with a shrug, "it just uh…it seems that you and your family certainly have a long, sorta sketchy history with bears and will of the wisps apparently." Merida nodded.

"Aye, I suppose yer right," Merida replied with a smirk, "But no sketchier than your history with dragons." Hiccup nodded.

"Good point," Hiccup replied with a shrug. He continued to smile warmly at her.

"Also..." Hiccup cleared his throat before continuing, "I was uh…sorta, trying to picture you as a little five-year-old kid." Hiccup smiled warmly. Merida rolled her eyes.

"You had to have been adorable," Hiccup smiled, "I can just picture you as a tiny little thing with a mess of red curls, aiming your little bow." Merida blushed slightly with his words.

"Ugh...stop," Merida groaned, the bashful smile not leaving her face.

"What," Hiccup grinned, "what's wrong with that?" Merida just shook her head and rolled her eyes again, a blush forming upon her pale freckled cheeks. Hiccup chuckled at her reaction.

"What about ye," Merida smiled, "I'm sure ye were also adorable as a wee lad, what with yer mop o' chestnut hair, those big green eyes, and that goofy grin o' yers." Hiccup shrugged.

"Oh, you mean like the skinny, uncoordinated, accident-prone little runt that I was," Hiccup snickered, "yeah I'm not sure adorable would be the word I'd use." Merida sighed slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest. She gazed back at him disappointedly.

"I wish ye wouldn't do that," Merida replied. Hiccup gazed back at her curiously.

"What," Hiccup questioned.

"Talk down aboot yerself," Merida replied.

"What," Hiccup snickered, "it's not like I'm saying something I haven't heard before. Plenty of people ha..."

"I dinnae care what awful things yer fellow Vikings said tae ye, when ye were young," Merida interrupted in exacerbation, "none o' that matters! I just... I wish ye'd see yerself as I see ye!" Hiccup's heart fluttered with her words. He smiled back at her warmly.

"Hey, it's not like I'm being serious," Hiccup replied dismissively, "I...I mean, I did get ridiculed a lot when I was a kid, but it's no big deal now…it's just like a joke now. Sure, thinking about all of that does bother me sometimes, but being sarcastic about it or making stupid jokes, makes it bother me a lot less." Merida huffed slightly as she dropped her eyes from his. Hiccup gazed back at her in concern. He reached out to her, placing his fingers under her chin. Hey," he said as he gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes. When she turned her eyes to look up at him, he could still see the disappointment on her face.

"It really does bother you when I say stuff like that…doesn't it," Hiccup questioned.

"Of course, it does," Merida replied with an expression of pure sincerity, "because none of that is who ye are in here." She gently pressed her hand to his chest over his heart. "To me, ye are wonderful, honorable and brave. Yer smart and funny, and completely adorable. Yer amazin' just as ye are Hiccup...and just because nobody could see that back then, doesn't mean that it wasn't always so." Hiccup could feel his face flush as he smiled at her warmly, once again rendered speechless by her heartfelt words. He reached up and covered the hand she'd laid upon his chest with his own, gently closing his fingers around hers. He leaned closer to her his green eyes gazing lovingly into her pale blue ones. Merida's gaze remained steady and unwavering as he leaned closer still. He reached up slowly with his opposite hand, and brushed a rogue curl from her face tucking it gently behind her ear. His hand came to rest on her pale freckled cheek as he continued to gaze at her wordlessly.

"What," Merida asked, feeling slightly self-conscious under the weight of his gaze. Hiccup shook his head slightly as he tried to find his words.

"I…uh, I... just uh…I don't even know what to say," Hiccup replied, "just…the fact that it bothers you…the fact that you care enough to feel that way…it sorta blows my mind a bit." Merida smiled warmly at his comment.

"Why," she questioned curiously, "why is it so surprising to ye that I'd feel that way." Hiccup shrugged before answering.

"I don't know, Hiccup replied, "my whole life I've been a screw up, and my whole village, including my dad, never hesitated to remind me. Even Astrid bullied me when I was young. In some ways, her bullying was the worst because I always liked her, her opinion mattered to me. By some miracle she actually gave me a chance later.

"Twas' no miracle Hiccup," Merida replied with a gentle smile, "it was ye, don't ye see? Astrid saw the real ye eventually… that's why she gave ye a chance finally, because instead o' writin' ye off like everyone else in Berk, she took the time to see the real ye." Hiccup smiled as he leaned closer, gently resting his forehead against hers once more.

"I sure do wish you were around when I was a kid," Hiccup replied with a grin. you probably would have clobbered anybody that ever bullied me." Merida chuckled.

"I'd clobber 'em now if I knew who they were," Merida grumbled. Hiccup chuckled.

"All of Berk," Hiccup replied in amusement, "you really would take on all of Berk, wouldn't you?" Merida grinned back at him.

"For ye, I wouldn't hesitate," she replied with a smirk. Hiccup grinned back at her, knowing full well he'd do the same for her, no questions asked. He leaned forward kissing her softly upon the cheek.

"Alright," Hiccup sighed as he pulled back from her slightly, "I won't stop you, but I'm pretty sure that taking on Berk will pretty much end any chance we have of establishing a new alliance between our people." Merida sighed in mock resignation.

"Fine," she replied with another drawn out sigh, "I suppose yer right." Hiccup chuckled at her reaction. As his laughter subsided, he reached for her hand once more, taking it in his and interlacing their fingers.

"Ya know, I have to say," Hiccup went on, changing the subject, "from all that you've told me so far, your family actually seems pretty amazing."

"Really," Merida replied skeptically as she raised an eyebrow at him. Hiccup nodded with a loving smile upon his face.

"Absolutely," Hiccup replied as he leaned closer to her, "but I guess I shouldn't really be too surprised, given how amazing you are." Merida blushed slightly at his compliment.

"Even my mother," Merida questioned further. Hiccup smirked at her.

"Yes, even your mother," Hiccup replied, "I mean, sure she has some flaws but who doesn't. It may take longer to get her to accept me but that's only because she loves you and she wants what's best for you. She doesn't want to see you hurt. She and I have that in common and I'm certain that she'll see that eventually." Merida smiled up at him, though she still had a slightly worried expression upon her face.

"I hope yer right," Merida replied. Hiccup squeezed her hand slightly in reassurance.

"We'll find out soon enough," Hiccup replied, "try not to worry too much until then… okay." Merida nodded in agreement.

"Remember I'm not going to give up," Hiccup went on, "no matter what happens we're in this together."

"Aye," Merida replied, "I know ye'll keep yer word. I just hope that it willnae take much for mum to see ye for who ye are. To see ye as I do." Hiccup smiled warmly as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a comforting embrace."

"She will," Hiccup replied encouragingly. Merida hugged him back resting her chin upon his shoulder. At that moment Merida's eyes moved past him and she could see Eret standing in the mouth of the cave, leaning upon the cave wall with one arm while clutching his ribs with the other. He was breathing heavily with an expression of distress on his face.

"Eret," she said aloud. Hiccup furrowed his brow slightly. He pulled back from her and looked at her questioningly.

"What," he questioned.

"It's Eret," Merida repeated in a concerned tone as she motioned behind him. Hiccup turned around in the direction she had pointed. Eret looked up at him at that moment, his dark brown eyes meeting his curious gaze. He looked tired, and troubled. Hiccup turned back to Merida, they shared a look of concern and then turned back to Eret. Without a word, Hiccup took Merida by the hand and they both headed in Eret's direction.

"Eret," Hiccup questioned in concern, "are you okay?" Eret nodded as he dropped his arm from the cave wall and took a few cautious steps forward in Hiccup and Merida's direction.

"I'm fine Hic," Eret replied dismissively.

"You don't look fine," Hiccup replied disbelievingly, "you sure you don't want to sit down or something..."

"I'm fine Hic...really," Eret replied firmly, "I just... I... I need to talk to you." Eret's eyes briefly turned to Merida and then back to Hiccup as he spoke, "alone preferably." Hiccup furrowed his brow at Eret's request. He wondered what Eret wanted to say that he felt he could not say in front of Merida. Hiccup glanced back at Merida, with a questioning expression, as if wordlessly asking if that was okay with her. Merida nodded her head as she gazed back at him.

"It's okay," she replied, "I'll just go check on Fishlegs." She leaned forward and kissed him upon the cheek, then headed off in the direction of the cave. She glanced briefly at Eret in concern as she passed him by. Eret seemed to avoid her gaze, which did not go unnoticed by Hiccup. After she had gone, Hiccup turned his attention back to Eret.

"You know whatever you have to say," Hiccup said, "you can say in front of Merida, you don't have to...but she's a good listener and she gives good advice." Eret nodded his head.

"I know Hic," Eret sighed, "I just...I don't really know how to tell you this... a-and... I don't really know that she'll have anything to say about it...I don't even know what I'm saying...it doesn't make sense. I ...I mean, it...it does make sense...but not really...and I..." Hiccup continued to gaze at his flustered friend in concern. He laid his hand upon Eret's shoulder encouragingly.

"Relax," Hiccup replied, "what's this all about?"

"It's about Merida... a-and me ...a-and Dunbroch," Eret stammered, "and my dreams..." Hiccup shook his head in slight confusion. His heart momentarily frozen with Eret's words.

"Hold on," Hiccup replied, "what do you mean, about you and Merida."

"Do you remember, the other day, when you and I went to pick up the letter from Merida," Eret questioned, "when you dropped the letter that was in your notebook." Hiccup nodded as he continued to gaze at Eret with a serious expression on his face.

"You asked me if I was okay," Eret continued, "you said that I looked like I'd seen a ghost."

"I remember," Hiccup replied, "you were acting weird the rest of the day."

"That's because I might as well have seen a ghost Hic," Eret said cryptically.

"Okay...I'm not following," Hiccup replied, "what do you mean?" Eret reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Hiccup watched curiously as Eret carefully unfolded the paper and then held it up to him. Hiccup carefully took the paper from Eret and gazed at it curiously. It was a rubbing of the royal seal of Dunbroch. He'd seen it probably over a dozen times by now.

"I saw this Hic," Eret said pointing at the symbol, "this symbol pressed into the wax of Merida's letter...this symbol Astrid sent to me in her most recent letter. She found it in your grandfather's things back home, pressed into the wax seal of letters Hiccup the first received from Merida's great, great grandmother." Hiccup shook his head in confusion.

"Wait...Astrid sent you this," Hiccup questioned, "why was Astrid going through my grandfather's things?"

"She and Valka are trying to help," Eret replied, "it was Astrid's idea to go through his things to see if there was anything you might have missed... anything that might help you solve this mystery." Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise. He simply could not fathom why after all they had been through, after all he had put her through, that Astrid would still go out of her way to help him like this. As he pondered this, the details of what Eret had said seeped into his brain.

"So...Astrid found letters from Mairead to Hiccup the first," Hiccup questioned. Eret nodded.

"She did," Eret confirmed, "she asked me if we'd found anything similar here."

"What exactly did the letters say," Hiccup questioned, "was there anything about the banishment?"

"That I don't know," Eret replied, "she... she didn't specify exactly. All she said was that the letters give a whole other side to the story, but that it was only half the story without the rest of them."

"The rest of them," Hiccup questioned.

"The letters from Hiccup the first to Mairead," Eret explained, "Astrid wanted to know if we'd found anything here that Mairead might have kept from your grandfather." Hiccup shook his head as he pondered all that Eret had told him. He huffed slightly in frustration. Though he was grateful that Astrid and Valka were trying to help and that they had actually found something of importance, but he was slightly frustrated that the answers still seemed just beyond his reach.

"Why didn't she just tell you what was in the letters," Hiccup questioned. Eret shrugged.

"To be fair, her letter seemed a bit rushed," Eret replied, "she was preparing to leave Berk...she was headed to my old village... Eystribyggð, the place where my mother raised me." Hiccup furrowed his brow questioningly.

"Why would she be going there," Hiccup questioned.

"Because of this symbol Hic," Eret replied as he pointed to the paper in Hiccup's hand. Hiccup gazed back at Eret in confusion, still not quite grasping what Eret was trying to say. "This exact symbol is the same one I saw on Merida's letter that day..."

"It's clan Dunbroch's crest," Hiccup replied, "I…I don't get it, we already know Mairead was involved with my grandfather, of course Dunbroch's crest would be on her letters….what does any of that have to do with you or your village?"

"This symbol Hic," Eret repeated taking the paper from Hiccup and holding it up, "this exact symbol is the one on my pendant!" Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise as he gazed back at Eret in both confusion and sudden intrigue.

"Your pendant," Hiccup questioned, "you mean the pendant that your mother gave you...the one that belonged to your father... the one you gave to Astrid." Eret nodded.

"Astrid is certain that there must be a connection between my father and Dunbroch," Eret explained, "she's gone to Eystribyggð to see if she can find any sort of evidence to prove it." Hiccup continued to gaze at Eret in disbelief.

"Eret...y-you recognized the symbol days ago," Hiccup replied questioningly, "why didn't you mention any of this before?" Eret shrugged as he pondered how best to answer Hiccup's question.

"I … I didn't know what to make of it at first," Eret replied, "I still don't really. I... I didn't want to make this at all about me. You and Merida have enough to worry about. I just didn't want to get in the way of anything."

"I told you before that I could help you look into your past," Hiccup replied, "If you had just said something...I could have helped...maybe Merida could have even looked into it further on her end."

"I didn't want help," Eret replied firmly, "I...I admit I was intrigued a bit by it...but I still didn't care to look further into my father's past, I told you that already."

"Yeah, but Eret," Hiccup replied, "this is huge! I...I mean, you might be standing in the very place your family originated from! How can you not want to know more?"

"Because I'm afraid Hic," Eret admitted in a flustered tone, "I'm afraid of what I'll find...I mean why was my father lost to begin with? Was his family banished like yours was? Was my family disgraced in some way and forced to leave here? There are still so many things that don't add up. All I have of my father are the stories my mother told me about him, and that bloody pendant. And even though I never really fully believed the stories... I'm just not sure that I really want to know the truth?" Hiccup gazed back at Eret in sympathy.

"I get that," Hiccup replied, "but whatever the truth is... good or bad... it... it doesn't matter, not really. None of it changes who you are. You are your own person...despite your father." Eret nodded as he dropped his eyes from Hiccup, thinking heavily on his words.

"My not wanting to find out the truth wasn't the only reason I didn't tell you," Eret replied. Hiccup furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean," Hiccup questioned.

"It was because of Merida too," Eret continued, "because of my feelings about her."

"Feelings," Hiccup questioned in a slightly defensive tone, "what do you mean feelings? What kind of feelings?"

"The moment I met Merida...I felt connected to her somehow. I... I felt like I... I already knew her," Eret explained, "it was like I've known her forever. It... it's everything about her...how she speaks, the way she moves, her facial expressions, how she carries herself...everything about her is familiar." Hiccup remained silent as he pondered all that Eret had said thus far. Eret's scattered explanation was hard to follow and Hiccup was struggling to understand exactly what his friend was trying to tell him.

"I was afraid to mention it," Eret replied, "because I was afraid that you might take it wrong...or misconstrue it somehow. I didn't want you to jump to conclusions because of our past. You and I have come so far the past week...I didn't want you to have any reason to be at odds with me again." Hiccup nodded in understanding, as he relaxed a bit.

"Okay so, you recognized the symbol," Hiccup replied, "then you had these...feelings about Merida and you think all of this means that your father is somehow connected to Dunbroch." Eret nodded. Hiccup nodded in response as he pondered what all of this could mean.

"I mean, it does make sense," Hiccup continued, "your mother told you that you come from a long line...that you have prestigious roots. If this all turns out to be true...your father might very well be a part of the royal family of Dunbroch."

"I was leaning that way," Eret replied, "but now I'm not exactly sure."

"What do you mean," Hiccup questioned.

"Something happened that made me rethink everything," Eret replied.

"What happened," Hiccup questioned.

"All this time," Eret said almost as if he were explaining it to himself, "I...I never put it together. I...I just took my mother at her word. I never even considered that she was the one that gave me the pendant...not my father." Hiccup remained silent as Eret spoke. He recalled he and Merida's multiple discussions regarding Merida's own strange feelings of familiarity with Eret, and the fact that Eret understood her dialect so well. They had already concluded the possibility that Eret's mother might actually have originated from Dunbrcoh. They had discussed the possibility that everything that Eret's mother had told him about his father might actually have been about herself. Hiccup had kept his theories to himself, because of Eret's reluctance to look further into his past. All this time Eret had been silently connecting the dots and seemed to have come to a nearly similar conclusion.

"What happened," Hiccup questioned once more, "what happened that made you rethink everything?"

"HICCUP!"

Merida's voice calling out to him caused Hiccup to turn in her direction. She and Fishlegs were standing by the mouth of the cave. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she gazed in his direction.

"What is it," he asked, "is everything okay?"

"Hic," Eret said in a dumbfounded tone. Hiccup furrowed his brow as he turned back to Eret. Eret was looking past him with a shocked expression on his face. He slowly raised his hand and pointed in the opposite direction. Hiccup quickly turned, half expecting to see the mud splattered Kelpie towering over him. Instead, he was met with the familiar yet long overdue sight of a will o' th' wisp hovering a few feet in front of him. Hiccup stood wide-eyed for a few moments.

"It's a will o' th' wisp," Merida exclaimed as she ran up to them, "they came back! They came back!" She leapt up to Hiccup, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Her unexpected action caused him to loose his footing and he stumbled forward slightly. He glanced back at her with a grin, her excitement over the wisp's return caused his heart to flutter. He turned back to Eret who still stood unmoving with a dumbfounded expression upon his face. He gazed intently upon the blue flame like orb.

"Hey what is going on guys," Fishlegs questioned curiously, "who came back? What are you guys looking at?" Hiccup, Merida and Eret all simultaneously looked back at Fish curiously.

"It's a will o the wisp," Merida explained, "a woodland spirit orb."

"Really," Fish questioned excitedly, "where?" He furrowed his brow as he eagerly searched for the orb with his eyes. Merida furrowed her brow at Fishlegs' response.

"It's just there," Merida replied pointing, "it's only a few feet away…don't ye see it." Fish furrowed his brow in confusion. Hiccup gazed at Fish in intrigue, he then glanced back and forth to Eret and Merida each exchanging a look of both confusion and curiosity, before turning his eyes back to Fishlegs.

"Fish," Hiccup questioned, "are you…are you saying that you can't see the wisp...like, at all?" Fish glanced at each of his friends in slight concern. He shook his head slowly.

"I don't see a thing," Fish replied.

...