Back Then (Mericcup)

Chapter 24: A Gentle Fall

~~With the Dragon Riders~~

"Alrighty, now, where should we land?" Hiccup asked Merida.

"Hmm," she hummed in thought.

She looked around, trying to find a place with the least amount of people. It would be best if they could land near the door, but that would also carry the risk of her people getting scared. She was about to tell him to land further away near the stables when she noticed 4 familiar figures standing at the entrance. Maybe landing there wouldn't be so bad with them there.

"Land a bit away from the door," Merida told him and pointed at a spot.

Hiccup nodded and told everyone else, "Alright guys, land with me."

The spot Merida picked was big enough to fit all the dragons on it, but there were quite a few people walking near it. As soon as they landed there were gasps of fear, since a lot of people still didn't know what had happened and had only seen the dragons when Lillias and the triplets were causing mayhem.

"Ye're back!" A feminine voice exclaimed.

The riders turned to see Wee DingWall and the Young Ladies running toward them with blankets.

"Kirsteen!" Young Macintosh exclaimed and hugged his younger sister.

Kirsteen blushed, embarrassed at her brother's display of affection despite her being the one to run to him. She kept her gaze down at the ground as she handed him a blanket.

"It's freezing out here," Kirsteen told him.

She saw Eret passing by and quickly called for him.

"Sir Eret!" She exclaimed a little louder than she had intended, causing a few people to look her way.

Eret stopped and turned to her. Her face turned red, but luckily it was that it was still dark out and the red on her face could be attributed to the glow of the torches around the castle. She quickly walked over and handed him a blanket while keeping her gaze lowered and her shoulders slumped.

"Thanks. Oi, I've been meanin' to see something. Could you look at me and stand straight?" Eret asked her.

Kirsteen looked up and slowly did as he asked.

"I thought so, you're almost as tall as I am," Eret commented.

Kirsteen only nodded and looked away from him, but continued to stand straight despite slightly shaking from nerves.

"I like that, looking down at people tends to hurt my neck, so your size is perfect," Eret commented in a tone that Kirsteen couldn't tell if it was flirty or just amused.

Just when she thought she couldn't get more blood to her face he says, "Oi, you're shakin' like a leaf. Here, you need this more than I do."

He wrapped the blanket around her and continued by saying, "My muscles give me plenty of heat, so don't worry about me."

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Young Macintosh saw the exchange, and wondered what to do. Kirsteen had always been so timid around other people, guys especially. She would often get upset when a suitor seemed interested in her because she thought they were just making fun of her.

She didn't know it, but she had quite a few suitors from their clan, but, ultimately, he had taken care of them. To Ryan, Kirsteen was still just a little girl who needed time to adapt to the outside world. He wasn't about to let any guy come around to tie her to a marriage she was not happy in. He took a step forward when someone hummed beside him.