The Lightfury Rider

Beyond Our Control

(Merida's P.O.V.)

Sunlight beamed on mah face. Ah groan, feeling achy all ovah. Ah open mah eyes an' see a wee ole lassie lookin' at me. She wore a small helmet and had held a long staff.

Ah gasped. The ole lass rolled 'er eyes an' tapped on the door near us. It opened an' Hiccup entered.

"Merida! Good! You're awake."

"Ugh. Ah feel like ah need ta sleep fer a thousan' years er so. Wait. Where's Whisp!?"

"She' fine! She's fine. She took an arrow for Toothless, but she's gonna be good as new, in no time."

The battle's events come back to me.  And mah dethroning. Ah don' want ta think about it though.

"C'n a see, Whisp?" I slide off the wooden bed. How do they get good sleep, lying on hard wood planks?

Hiccup nodded. "If you're feeling up to it we can head to the stables and see her. Toothless is there too."

We make are way to the stables. It was hard to walk without tripping over a child or bumping into a dragon. Ah try not to stare at the ruins of the Vikin' village, which only a day or so ago was perfectly in one piece.

"Here we are." Hiccup swings open the stable doors.

Ah walk in an' see not only Whisp, but Toothless. She was curled up, a bandage wrapped on her right leg. Toothless was curled beside her. They were cooing, and grooming each other. They reminded me of a pair of doves.

Ah snicker. "What?" Hiccup asks.

"They're in love. Et's so obvious!"

Hiccup looks at them and chuckles. "I never pegged you for a romantic."

"Ah'm not, usually. But this is one of the exceptions."

Ah suddenly feel shy. "Ye seem ta have more dragons 'ere than DunBroch has trees!" Et' true.

Hiccup didn't laugh. His face became both serious and troubled.

"Yeah. We are overpopulated. And with Grimmel and the Warlords, it's not safe either." 

"Ah'm sorry about that."

"I think it's time for Berk to move on."

"Huh?"

"Move elsewhere. Far from here, a safer, bigger place."

"Ye'd leave yer homeland? The place where yer fates began?"

"I believe Berk is the people, not the island. Where ever we go or stay we'll still be Berk."

He said this with so much conviction, that ah was convinced ah was wrong about one's destiny being tied to the land ye were born on. 

"I don't know where we should go though." Hiccup said softly. Then out of nowhere an idea struck me. Scotland had a lot of unsettled, untouched land. Acres after acres of land. Surely it'd be enough to support a tribe o' Vikin's an' a large group o' dragons! But of course I'd 'ave to become queen again, to make 'at happen. An' we'd need to forge a strong, unbreakable alliance. There's only one alliance ah know 'at c'n do 'at: marriage.

I don' want ta, but et'd be selfish not ta. Plus the whisps said it's my fate, may as well get et over with.

"Hiccup, why don't ye move yer tribe ta Scotland?"

"What!?!" Hiccup stared at me in shock. He gaped at me. "Y-you can't...you're not the queen, there's no way that's possible; besides the Scots'd never accept Vikings. You saw how they reacted to me!"

Ah roll mah eyes. "The whisps said et was our fate. They may 'ave shown us the answer ta all our problems. Ye an' Berk along with yer allies can 'elp me regain mah throne. Then after that, we....we can forge an alliance of marriage."

Hiccup' looking at me increduously. Ah don' blame  'im.

"Et's the only way ah can give ye land. It'd be my dowlry to ye. An' Berk... could be the fifth clan." 

Ah glance away. Never in mah life could ah 'ave imagined ah'd suggest an arranged marriage!

"Uhhh. Merida, I'm really honored by your offer, and all.....but this is rather sudden. And is that what you want, so early in life?"

Hiccup asked the question ah wanted me Mum ta ask when she had that competition for mah betrothal. Ah want ta tell 'im mah story, but we 'ave bigger problems.

"Et doesn't matter what ye or ah want. Et's destiny. Our fate. Something beyond our control.

🗡💘🏹

Author's Note: Okay! An emotional low point! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry Mericcup is still happening.