It is strongly recommended that if you are not familiar with the song Noble Maiden Fair from the movie Brave, that you google it before you read this chapter, The song is an integral part of this particular chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 33 Noble Maiden Fair

Merida stood quietly before the mouth of the cave, looking up at the falling rain. Her mind felt heavy as she silently pondered all the terrifying events from earlier that day. She glanced over her shoulder into the cave, her eyes seeking out each of her companions. Both Eret and Fishlegs were sleeping in front of the fire, while Hiccup sat with his head leaned back against the cave wall, eyes closed as he clutched his right side. Her eyes lingered on Hiccup, coming to rest on his bandaged wound. She gulped slightly as the memory of the kelpie attack flashed through her mind. The sight of her wounded friends filled her heart with remorse and she could feel tears beginning to well up behind her eyes. Though she was thankful that they had survived the kelpie and that they all were alive and safe, she couldn't help but to feel guilty. She and Hiccup were intent on finding the truth about their grandparents, intent on finding the answers that could help their case for Berk. They all had put themselves in harm's way to help solve the mystery, risking their safety and even their lives for it. But now gazing upon her friends, injured and nursing their wounds, she began to wonder if it was ever worth the risk. She sighed heavily as she turned back to the mouth of the cave. As she turned her eyes back to the gray sky above, her mind drifted back to Hiccup's earlier suggestion, that they had been approaching the mystery all wrong, that they had been looking for the wrong thing all this time. He suggested that the mystery was less about Mairead and Hiccup the first and more about she and Hiccup themselves. He believed that their shared dreams had been leading them to find the truth about their own future rather than the truth of their grandparents' past. Though Hiccup made a good case for it, she couldn't help but wonder if the two goals were actually connected in some way, if not one in the same. If the truth of the past wasn't their goal, why then had the wisps led her to discover her grandmother's things, why had Hiccup's dreams led him to discover his grandfather's connection to Dunbroch. She had the unshakable gut feeling that they were missing something, something important. She sighed heavily as she tried to push these thoughts to the back of her mind if only temporarily. She focused instead on the sound of the pounding rain. As she continued to gaze up into the stormy sky a crash of thunder rumbled above her causing her to startle slightly. She took a deep breath as she steeled her nerves, reminding herself that the sound of thunder was nothing to fear. Absentmindedly, she began to softly sing a familiar tune, just as her mother had on days like this when she was small.

...

A naeoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth Mise rid' thaobh,
O mhaighdean bhan Ar righinn oig, fas as faic,
Do thir, dileas fhein.
...

Merida was distracted suddenly from her troubled thoughts as a pair of warm arms encircled her waist from behind. Her body tensed nervously for only a moment but quickly relaxed as she took comfort in the warmth of his. Hiccup's tender embrace slowly melted the troubles from her mind. Without words he soothed her, with nothing more than his gentle touch. Never in her life had she felt so content, so protected, so loved as she did in his arms. She smiled slightly without turning around, as Hiccup pulled himself closer to her, gently resting his chin upon her shoulder. She continued to sing the haunting lullaby as she leaned her head back against his chest and smiled, once again, up at the lightly falling rain.

...

A ghrian a's a ghealaich, stuir sinn Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn og Mhaighdean ua shaill bhan.

...

The sound of her beautiful bell-like voice singing, in what Hiccup assumed was her native tongue, made him smile and he found himself soothed by the gentle lullaby. He wondered what meaning the strange words that she uttered held. A question, he thought to himself, he'd have to ask her about it another day. Right now, the only thing he wanted was to feel close to her. Though earlier he tried his best to stay strong for her, the thought of the traumatic experience they had just been through wasn't far from his mind. He had come startlingly close to losing her this day, and the very thought of it caused his heart to ache. The image of Merida on her knees as the kelpie barreled down on her flashed suddenly through his mind and he practically shuddered at the thought. He shook his head as he banished the unwanted image from his tired mind. But putting it out of his mind did not prevent the guilt that followed. It had been his fault, after all, he had brought her to Adag despite her warnings, he had insisted that finding the answers had been worth the risk. He silently chided himself for ever having put her in that danger to begin with. He closed his eyes as he tried not to think about it, reminding himself that the danger was over. Merida was here in his arms, safe and uninjured. He focused, instead, on the sound of her voice, allowing the foreign words of her song to wash over him like the water of a gentle stream, cleansing him of the very real fear that still clung to his heart. He leaned into her, tightening his arms around her waist as he swayed slightly to the melody. She gently ran her hands across his arms, making his skin tingle in all the places that her fingers touched. He breathed in deeply once more, taking in everything about her, her softness, her warmth, the light flowery smell of her deep red curls, silently committing every detail of her to the deepest recesses of his memory. She was everything to him and he silently vowed to never again allow her to be put in harm's way. In this moment his love for her was all that mattered and the desire to find the truth mattered little in comparison.

As Hiccup held her close, the feeling of his warm breath upon her neck caused Merida to shiver slightly. Hiccup grinned at her reaction, and he nuzzled his face even closer to her. He leaned forward and gently kissed her upon the neck just under her ear allowing his lips to linger on her soft smooth skin. The feeling of his soft lips upon the sensitive skin of her neck caused an eruption of shivers throughout her body.

"Hiccup," she chuckled. Hiccup smiled.

"What," he questioned feigning innocence. As he spoke the feeling of his warm breath brushing past her neck, as well as the stubble of his chin against her smooth skin caused her to shiver even more. Hiccup grinned.

"What's wrong, are you sensitive here," he leaned forward and kissed her in the same place once again, eliciting the same reaction, "or is it more like here?" He moved down, kissing lower upon her neck closer to the line of her jaw, which caused her to squirm even more.

"Hiccup," she laughed as she squirmed in his arms. Hiccup smiled then playfully kissed her quickly, multiple times along the line of her neck causing Merida to burst into laughter as she struggled against him. She turned around in his arms and smiled up at him, her pale blue eyes sparkling as she gazed lovingly back at him.

"Yer' incorrigible," she chuckled.

"And you love me anyway," he smirked as he pulled her closer to him.

"Aye," Merida sighed as she smiled up at him, "I suppose." Hiccup smirked at her words.

"What," he replied in mock surprise as he pulled away slightly, "what do you mean, 'you suppose', what am I the flavor of the day. Didn't realize you were so indifferent about your love for me."

"Hiccup" she cried out in amused exasperation.

"No, no," Hiccup replied as he backed away from her and held his hands up, "too late now...you might as well give back my dagger and pretend this whole thing never happened." He animatedly sighed dejectedly.

"Guess I'm just gonna have to ask the wisps to lead me to some other true love whom I can give my heart to," he frowned at her mockingly.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third," she cried out as she put her hands on her hips, "ye'll dae no such thing. Ye gave it tae me 'n' ye cannae take it back." Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at her incredulously.

"I don't know," Hiccup replied as he crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, "I'm not so sure I can trust you with it, now that you've stomped all over it." Merida rolled her eyes at his faux, overly dramatic words. Two could play at this game.

"Well," Merida sighed diffidently, "I suppose it's for the best, then. It's probably better that yer nae around tae distract me from all th' braw suitors who'll turn up in a few days." She casually took the dagger from her belt and handed it to Hiccup. She then turned to walk back into the cave. Hiccup stood wordlessly for a moment gazing down at the dagger she had placed in his hand. He turned his eyes back to her and smirked in spite of himself.

"Whoa...whoa... whoa... hold on," Hiccup replied as he quickly reached for her hand to stop her, "let's not be too hasty here. I mean, being my true love is a pretty big deal after all. I'm more than willing to give you a second chance." He raised an eyebrow at her suggestively. Merida snickered at his comment.

"Oh, are ye now," Merida replied haughtily. Hiccup nodded as he pulled her back to him.

"Of course," he replied as he leaned closer to her, "all you have to do, is convince me." Merida raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that right," Merida replied. Hiccup nodded with a playful smirk on his face.

"'N' howfur exactly am I suppose tae dae that," Merida questioned. Hiccup shrugged as he leaned a little closer to her.

"I don't know... surprise me," Hiccup replied with a mischievous grin upon his face. Merida smirked up at him as she pretended to think over his suggestion. Without another word she stood up on her toes and pressed her lips to his in a soft and sweet kiss, her delicate fingers gripping the collar of his tunic as she pulled herself closer to him. The feeling of her soft lips moving slightly against his own caused his heart to flutter and he all but forgot his troubled thoughts from earlier. Hiccup instantly gave in to her, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him as he tried desperately to satisfy his longing to be close to her. Merida slowly wrapped her arms around his middle drawing herself closer to him and deepening their kiss. In doing so, she inadvertently pressed her hand against his freshly bandaged wound causing him to suddenly wince and her heart froze mid-beat at the unexpected sound.

"I'm sorry," Merida replied as she instantly pulled away, "I'm sorry... I... I forgot." Hiccup shook his head dismissively as he pulled her back into his arms, capturing her lips once more in a slightly more impassioned kiss. He held her closely, his fingers gently gripping the fabric of her dress as his heart beat furiously in his chest. It was as if the brief interruption of their intimate moment had taken far too long and he simply couldn't bear to be parted from her any longer. Merida all but melted in his arms, her heart nearly bursting from her chest as he held her tightly against him. Slowly she snaked her arms around his neck and gently ran her fingers through his messy brown hair as she pulled herself even closer to him. Hiccup responded by kissing her more fiercely than he had before causing her to moan softly against his lips. At the sound of her soft moan, he could feel his pulse begin to race and warmth filled his body from head to toe. He wanted nothing more than to be locked in this moment forever. To forever remain in her embrace, to feel her arms encircling his neck, her soft warm lips pressed to his, and her heart beating against his chest, so close to his own. He pulled back slightly, smiling warmly against her lips, his own face flushed with ardent desire. He gazed at her lovingly his breath slightly labored. He wasn't sure if his panting was from his throbbing wound or the lack of oxygen during their heated kiss, but he guessed it was a little of both. He smiled warmly, noting the deep pink hue of her flushed cheeks and the look of longing reflected back at him from pale blue eyes. He lifted his hand to her face and gently brushed a rogue curl back behind her ear. The gentle touch of his fingers caused her to shiver slightly. Without another moments pause Merida stood up on her toes once more, pressing her lips gently upon the line of his jaw causing his breath to hitch and his spine to tingle. She continue to pepper gentle kisses following the line of his jaw until she reached his lips once more. Slowly and purposefully, she pressed her lips to his in a soft yet sultry kiss. Her lips moved slowly against his, eliciting from him a deep and satisfied moan. She pulled away slowly her eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him longingly. For a few moments they just gazed at each other, completely lost in the moment, and in each other. It was as if nobody in the world existed besides the two of them. Hiccup kept his deep green eyes locked with hers, his loving smile slowly turning to a mischievous grin.

"You're forgiven," he smirked. He pulled back from her and held the dagger out before him. Merida furrowed her brow at him in amusement. After a few moments' pause she took the dagger from his hand and tucked it back into her belt.

"Besides," Hiccup sighed, "I wouldn't want you to have to suffer through all those handsome suitors trying to court you." Merida rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Oh, how gentlemanly of you," she replied haughtily, "I suppose yer expecting some sort of a Thank-you."

"You're welcome," Hiccup replied smugly. Merida rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Ye are completely insufferable," Merida huffed, "ye know that!"

"And yet... you still love me," Hiccup quipped haughtily.

"Of course, I love ye, ye glaikit Viking," Meirda replied. Hiccup chuckled at her words. He reached forward taking her hands in his, gently interlocking their fingers.

"I love you too," he replied.

Eret groggily stirred from his unrestful slumber. He lay upon his left side beside the fire with his cloak rolled up under his head for a pillow. Now stiff from his guarded position, he moved to roll onto his back, causing a sharp pain to rip through his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself while he cautiously adjusted his position. He groaned as he grasped the bridge of his nose waiting for the pain to pass. As he lay upon his back with eyes still closed, he slowly came to his senses. He tried to focus on anything other than the pain in his side, his focus fell upon a familiar sound. A voice humming a familiar tune. He furrowed his brow as the gentle sound reached his ears. The humming slowly gave way to the words of the song... sung in a woman's gentle voice.

...

A naeoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth Mise rid' thaobh,
O mhaighdean bhan Ar righinn oig, fas as faic,
Do thir, dileas fhein

...

The song elicited a barrage of memories to flash through his semi-conscious mind. He could see his mother singing while sitting at her loom, working in her little garden, smiling as she tucked him into bed, or sitting before the fire holding him in her arms on her lap. His eyes opened slowly, and he half expected the song to fade from his mind as he woke. But as he gazed up at the roof of the cave above, the song continued.

...

A ghrian a's a ghealaich, stuir sinn Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn og Mhaighdean ua shaill bhan.

...

Eret furrowed his brow as he listened to the gentle voice. It sounded like his mother's but subtly different. He sat up slowly, gripping his side with his hand. His eyes, still fuzzy as they adjusted to the light, searched anxiously for the source of the song. As he looked around, he noticed Fish laying across from him, sleeping peacefully by the fire, with Meatlug curled up beside him. He turned slightly to see Hiccup sitting a few feet away leaning up against the cave wall with eyes closed seemingly asleep. Eret then turned toward the mouth of the cave. The dismal light of the rainy day illuminated a woman's figure. For a moment it was as if he was seeing a ghost, or an angel, or even the spirit of his mother herself. But as his eyes adjusted to the bright light of the cave opening, his vision focused, and he could see clearly the person who was the source of the voice. His eyes widened in both recognition and surprise. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Merida," he muttered questioningly under his breath. He gazed in her direction in curiosity and confusion. How did she know the song he'd only ever heard from his mother's lips, and in the same strange language that his mother spoke. Though he'd never known the meaning of the words, he remembered every syllable fondly. There was no question in his mind that he knew it, nor possibility he had mistaken it. As he sat dumbfounded, trying desperately to make sense of it, he and Merida's previous conversation ran through his mind.

...

"Ye guess," Merida replied flatly as she put her hands on her hips.

"Mostly," Eret replied, "however, in this particular instance, you just so happened to choose a phrase my mother used to say quite often when I was a boy." Merida raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Is that so," she questioned in intrigue. Eret nodded.

"Usually when I came home a mess," Eret explained, "but I guess it could equally be applied to being on the losing end of a fight as well." Merida gazed at Eret for a long moment with an intrigued expression on her face as she pondered his admission.

"My mum always said it as well," Merida replied, "mostly when I'd ruin a perfectly good dress trainin' with my dad." She took the bag from her shoulder and knelt beside him. "I can only imagine what she'll say when I come today. She sighed heavily as she set the bag down at her side, then looked up at Eret curiously.

"Are ye entirely certain yer mum wasn't a Scot," Merida questioned with a slight smile. Eret furrowed his brow at her unexpected question.

"No... actually," Eret replied softly, "to be honest I... I have no idea."

...

Suddenly all the signs and suspicions he had about his connection to Dunbroch came flooding back to his mind, the pendant given to him by his mother, whose symbol matched the one on Merida's letter perfectly, every strange feeling of familiarity he'd ever had about her since the day they first met, and now his mother's song uttered from Merida's own lips. She had reminded him of something, with her words and her mannerisms and even how she carried herself, though he hadn't been able to put his finger on it exactly until now. She reminded him of his mother... she always had. Maybe he simply hadn't allowed himself to see it before. Could this be the connection he'd felt to her all along; had he inadvertently discovered his mother's long lost family?

Elanor sat at her loom in her sitting room, focused on the tapestry she had been working on. As she sat, her mind going over the many things she had been dwelling on, she began to hum a tune. The same tune that both her mother, and sister had sung to her as a child. The same song that she sang to her own children when they were small.

...

A naeoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth Mise rid' thaobh,
O mhaighdean bhan Ar righinn oig, fas as faic,
Do thir, dileas fhein.
A ghrian a's a ghealaich, stuir sinn Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn og Mhaighdean ua shaill bhan.
A naeoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth Mise rid' thaobh,
O mhaighdean bhan Ar righinn oig, fas as faic,
Do thir, dileas fhein.
A ghrian a's a gheal-aich, stuir sinn Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naoidhean bhig, ar righinn Og Mhaigh-dean ua shaill bhan.
A naeoid-hean bhig, cluinn mo gluth Mise rid' thaobh,
O mhaighdean bhan Ar righinn oig, fas as faic,
Do thir, dileas fhein.
A ghian a's a ghealaich stuir sinn Gu uair ar cliu'sar gloire.
Naoidhean bhig, ar righ-inn og Mhaigh-dean ua shaill bhan.

...

"Tis been a long while since Ah heard ye sing that old song," Fergus voice interrupted Elinor's work. She paused as she turned to face her husband with a weak smile upon her face.

"Aye," Elinor replied, "somethin' aboot the rain makes me a bit nostalgic."

"Are ye thinkin' o' yer sister today," Fergus questioned. Elinor nodded her head.

"Aye," Elinor replied, "'n' Merida…mostly Merida. I used tae sing this song to her when she was a wee lass on days like these." Fergus chuckled reminiscently.

"Aye Ah remember," Fergus replied, "she had a terrible fear o' thunder then." Elenor nodded with a reminiscent smile.

"Aye, and it still makes her jump a little even now," Elinor replied as her smile slowly faded, "but she looked tae me for comfort then... I dinnae remember when it was that she no longer needed me."

"Yer her mother dear," Fergus replied, "she'll always have need o' ye." Elinor sighed heavily as she paused in her work. She turned to Fergus with a soft smile, and a melancholy look in her eye.

"Where has the time gone Fergus," Elinor said, "it feels like only yesterday she was that wee lass." She stood quietly and walked over to the castle window. She sighed as she gazed out at the falling rain. As she stood lost for a moment in memories of the past, Fergus' warm arms wrapped around her waist making her smile. He leaned forward resting his chin upon the top of her head as he held her protectively against him.

"Aye, it felt like they'd be small forever," Fergus sighed, "but th' time passed in th' blink o' an eye." Elinor turned to face Fergus. She leaned forward and gently laid her head upon his chest as she took comfort in his words and his warmth. She sighed softly as her mind drifted back to Merida. It was hard to believe that the wee lass she once comforted was a grown woman now, old enough practically to marry and start a family of her own. The thought of it made Elanor both proud and nervous at the same time. In her day, marriage was not something Elanor had thought about, it was more like a duty to uphold, she'd never had a say in when and to whom. Though love had come later with Fergus, it was never a deciding factor. In that way, she supposed, her betrothal to Fergus had something of a safety net. She had not given her heart to him in the beginning, and so he could not break it. Though she'd been drawn to him during their courtship, she'd kept the walls of heart guarded. As a child she clung to the fairy tale stories of true love, but real love was far from a fairy tale. It was complicated, difficult and often times heartbreaking. She'd seen firsthand the damage that love could do, it had broken her father when her mother passed, it had broken Isla when she was betrayed. Because of this, she kept her distance to protect her heart. But Fergus was patient, and persistent and above all kind. He approached her tenderly and gently. He had put his own heart on the line to gain her trust until she was willing to give him hers. It took years for Fergus to break through her walls and now she could barely remember a time that she was not in love with him.

Unlike her, Merida was a force of nature, tough and brave, headstrong and stubborn. She was never one for acting dainty and fragile, and she'd never back down from a fight, be it physical or one of words. Even if she was wounded, she still didn't hold back. On the outside Merida was far from fragile, but Elinor knew her daughter inside and out. Merida tended to wear her heart on her sleeve. Though she'd never been one for fairytale accounts of true love, her heart was fully open to the possibility. She had no fear, and she knew what she wanted, but that worried Elinor even more. She feared Merida giving her heart fully and without hindrance, putting her heart and her trust in the hands of another. She feared the possibility of her daughter's heart being broken, the possibility that she might suffer a wound too deep to heal. Perhaps that was why she had been so anxious as of late. She was fairly certain that Merida had met someone, that she might even already be in love. But with no knowledge of this mystery lad, Elinor could not be sure of his intent. The fact that even now, with the prospect of the suitors arriving to woo Merida, the lad still had chosen to remain hidden caused Elinor to remain guarded. If he truly wished to pursue her daughter, why had he not come forward? What had this lad to hide? The thought of it caused Elinor to be wary of this lad. She worried that his pursuit of her daughter's heart was simply just a means to an end, and that the throne of Dunbroch might be his only motivation.