Counting crows

Three for a girl

Hiccup had stayed in Dun'Broch as he promised, guarding the land from any sign of Grimmel or his hunters. Him and Merida had gotten used to each other's company, and this new normalcy, in having Hiccup in the castle, was well received by all who mattered. And although the days were much brighter, and the kingdom started recovering from the war, the triplets, Harris, Hamish and Hubert had barely any improvement in their nightly horrors.

Merida walked to her brothers' room as usual. They had been screaming and crying, and after she lulled them to sleep, she walked to her room, exhausted. In fact, she was so exhausted she opened a different door than that of the royal bedroom.

With her eyes half closed and without a single light around, she stumbled into the bed to find it pleasantly warm and with a nice smell. That of leather, firewood and smoke. She smiled to herself as she placed her head against the feathery pillow, but instead found herself resting over something warm, hard and latent.

"Good night, your Royal Highness, may I help you?" Said Hiccup, not trying at all to hide his smug smile.

Merida launched herself out of the bed and gasped loudly, covering her eyes in embarrassment.

"My! I'm so very sorry, I didn't realize..." She tried to say, but she was interrupted by a hand pulling her by the arm and back into the covers.

"It's okay, really" Hiccup said, cuddling her up close, "did you think I'd be annoyed, in all honesty?"

Merida, now with her head resting willingly against his chest, hummed a negative answer.

"I am glad I made this silly mistake" she mumbled.

Hiccup planted a kiss in her forehead.

"Anytime" he said.

"It's just that... After my parents... I don't think I can do any of this for ever" she said, fighting the urge to cry. "I don't think I'm made to keep a smile all the time and be a queen, and be perfect and live up to mum's expectations and-"

But she was interrupted again by the older man.

"I know. This is all incredibly hard, but I know you: you are strong and courageous and completely able to handle this and more"

She turned around, giving him her back.

"You don't understand" she managed to say before she started weeping.

Hiccup was used to her crying, but never had she turned from him. He felt ever so slightly heartbroken, but instead, he embraced her so that her body fit perfectly against his.

"Believe it or not, I too have experienced loss and overwhelming power" he murmured, wishing he didn't sound nearly as sarcastic as he always did.

Her crying became noticeably lower.

"I'm so very sorry" she said "you must think I'm so selfish..."

He shushed her.

"Don't apologise for feeling" he said.

They fell asleep, warm and cozy and remembering their respective parents. Merida had a delicious dream in which her mother embroidered wisps for a wedding dress, she smiled in her slumber, for even if she didn't want to admit it, at least in the realm of her dreams, she could love her man freely and sing about the moonrise.

*+*+*+*+*

The next morning, Hiccup woke up with the sight of Merida's fire hair tickling his chest. He smiled and, careful not to wake her up, made his way out the bed and dressed himself in a simple whool shirt paired with pants of the same material. Just as he finished, proud of not having woken the queen, a knock on the door wrecked his every effort. Merida opened her eyes slowly and yawned loudly.