(Merida X female reader) Scottish Nymph

Ch 34: Thing of the past

Hello everyone! 
I have a WARNING for you. This chapter is definetly "meatier", it contains more violance than previous ones. It's not super descriptive but I wanted to say that in case someone was triggered by that. As numerous times in this story, the characters represents actual values and views that people in real life have and I decided that this type of language and actions would be necessary to truthfully describe some characters.

^^^

~20 years ago~

It was a cold, autumn night when Hjalmar and his crew reached a tiny island in the north of Scotland. The ship docked at an old, decaying pier. 

"Move your ass, Henric!" a crew member scolded a boy who was having a major problem with tying the rope to the mooring.

As soon as he jumped off the deck, Hjalmar headed to the nearest building. It looked like a shed but it was, in fact, a local inn, very old and dirty, like everything in the area. When he stepped inside, the man was greeted by two armored men, who showed him the way to their boss. He was sitting by a large table, surrounded by plenty of steaming dishes and two full beer mugs.

"You must be the famous Hjalmar!" the man greeted him with a huge grin "It's been only two years since you became chief of your clan and now every sailor knows your name. You're not a man, you're a legend! Oh! I've been waiting for this meeting! I'm Cicero. Please, do me this honor and drink with me." 

The chief sat down and glanced at the man. They were probably the same age. The Scottish man had a long, quite handsome, face and a ginger beard. Hjalmar had a fondness for beards and Cicero's was kept in a very stylish manner.

"You'd chosen a weird place, Cicero." Hjalmar finally said, looking around the rotting, dark building "It looks more like a place to plot and conspire than to make alliances."

"It's a little bit ratchy, true but I like to support local business." he said after taking a long sip of his lager.

Hjalmar looked at the man's tattoo. He wasn't sure what the blobby shape should depict.

"I tattooed it myself." Cicero said proudly "It was a very meaningful moment for me...but it looks shitty so maybe in the future I will get it covered with better work." he laughed

"What does it represents?"

"It's an owl - the great Polkemmet's clan emblem. He's my idol!"

"Wasn't he responsible for a genocide?"

"Every greatness comes with a price, Hjalmar." Cicero grinned 

'The price being...innocent people's lives.' Hjalmar thought and suddenly the man's beard wasn't so amazing as he had thought before.

"I will be honest with you, Cicero. Your offer to sign an alliance was quite unexpected for me. Leaving brotherhood and friendship on the side, an alliance is a strictly political manner. Do you have any political power? Money? What are you anyway, a clan, a guild?"

"We do not have any political power...yet." Cicero smirked "But I have money, plus all my followers' land and properties. What we are? Hmmm....A brotherhood? The last group of normal people in Scotland?" he crackled

"What are your origins?"

"It started a year ago...well, actually it started many years back...anyway, my brother and I were sick of what was going on in Scotland. Once Scots were striking fear among every nation that dared to oppose us. We were ruthless and glorious. This is why it breaks my heart to see how the new dynasty destroys centuries of history and tradition! They opened the borders, they welcome outlanders who destroy our economy and even have mix breeds."