Will O' the wisps

1st June

Merida's PoV
Today was the day I was dreading. The day of the suitors arrival. My mother brushed my hair. Or she tried to. In the end, the parts she managed to tame frizzed up like crazy and all the bits that defeated her were still knotted up. She tightened the corset so much it was difficult to breathe. Then she pulled a dress out of my wardrobe. It was just the same as the one I wore two years ago. I hadn't seen it in ages. Then she gave me the same headdress as before too. It was like I was eighteen again. I was so uncomfortable. "Urrrgh! Mum please can ye make i' jus' a li'le bi' looser." I groaned. She sighed. "Alright. Sorry dear."

She fixed me with a look. "I'm sorry it has tae be this way." She said. "It's the quickest way tae find your true love. Every man who's interested will be coming. After that it's just a matter of who you choose."
"Bu' ah don't have a true love! An' besides doesn' tha' seem a bi' forced?" "It's not forced, it's logical. And everyone has a true love."she said touching my arm.
"Ah don't. I' jus' doesn' ma'er tae me." I said. She laughed a little. "Let's just see how this goes. You look beautiful." She said.

I sat in my seat. It wasn't quite as bad now. At least I could breathe. But the fabric was itchy and I didn't feel like myself.

Suddenly the guards swung the massive wooden doors open and a huge crowd of men came bursting in. They all stood in front of the steps that came up to our little platform.

There were loads of them all from different places. There were the clans, Macintosh, Dingwall and MacGuffin. And lots of other places like Arandelle and Corona. I was happy to see my friend Rapunzle from corona and her cousins Elsa and Anna from Arandelle. They were probably there because they're the rulers of their kingdoms.

Once all of them where crammed inside, my mother stood up and spoke. "Welcome tae Dunbroch!" She boomed "I am queen Elinor and this is princess Merida." She gestured to me and the men cheered. I rested my head on my hand, and my elbow on my armrest. I scowled at the floor. My mother turned to me and signalled for me to smile. I gave sarcastic smile. Then returned to my slouchy position. Then my eyes fell upon one particular boy. And somehow he casted a peaceful veil over me and I didn't feel angry anymore. He had shaggy brown hair and his eyes were the most amazing shade of green. They were fixed on me. He smiled as his cheeks flushed pink. I smiled back and felt myself blush.

Hiccup's PoV
The giant wooden doors were finally pulled open by some guards and we all burst in. The hall was huge. Bigger than anything you'd see in Berk. Opposite the doors, the royal family sat on a platform. There were three little boys, with flaming red hair all sitting on a bench, a large man who's ginger beard and hair was greying, a woman with long brown hair with a grey streak near the front and a girl wearing a white headdress and a cyan blue dress that was the same colour as her eyes. She was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen but she leaned on her armrest scowling. She clearly wasn't happy to be doing this. If she wasn't ok with it, it didn't feel right.

Then the brunette stood up and spoke with a clear, confident voice. "Welcome tae Dunbroch! I am queen Elinor and this is princess Merida." She gestured to the girl. And all the other men cheered like she was some sort of prize. Merida gave a sarcastic smile and then resumed her former position. Then her eyes met mine and her scowl faded. I got chills and felt myself blush. I couldn't help but smile. The most beautiful smile spread across her face and her cheeks turned a little pink.

We were both snapped back to reality by the queen. "Merida." She said. "What will the first challenge be?" Merida stared at her blankly. "Um... Archery." She said. Her mother rolled her eyes. I wonder why. "Then let the challenge begin!" She said.