The Rider(HTTYD and Brave, 2012)

Finding fate

(Hiccup's POV)

As he followed Merida through the woods, he couldn't help but notice her hair. It was extremely red and unruly, like it hadn't been brushed for months, but somehow looked clean. When the sun hit it, it was like wild fire had erupted on her head. It reminded him of his good friend smirked. He admired this girl's charisma, but something told him she wasn't telling all. Since neither was he, he kept his mouth shut. Yet still...

After a few minutes of walking, they came across a clearing, and in the middle of it was a large castle. It had multiple towers and a large wall in the front with a wooden gate that connected to a stone bridge. She led him through the large gate and up to the castle doors, where a couple of guards shot angry and suspicious looks in their direction. More so at himself than Merida. Yet the let him pass. This raised suspicion in Hiccup.

"Uh, Merida, quick question." Hiccup said. Merida looked at him. "Why did the guards just...let us pass?" She looked away, averting her eyes. She's definitely hiding something, Hiccup thought.

"It...well, it's because I'm-" she started, but was soon cut off.

"Merida!" A woman in a green and gold dress with two extremely long braids ran up to them and started moving Merida's arms and face, and spoke in an accent like Merida's, only a little more refined, as she was holding herself back from using slang pronunciation and terms. She was obviously royalty. "I was so worried, I didn't know where you gone, or when you'd get back."

"Mum, I'm fine!" Merida said. "I ran into this boy in the woods." she gestured at Hiccup. "He said he was looking for the castle, so I decided to help him." The woman gave him a look similar to the one the guards gave, minus the hate, multiply the suspicion.

"Who might you be, young laddie?" She asked.

"Brynjar. I come from a land in the east. And you are?"

"I am Queen Elinor. I rule the clan of Dunbronch, alongside king Fergus." She said. "Now I'm gonna-"

"Wait-wait-wait...Queen? And if you're her mother, that makes her the...princess." Merida bit her lip. He had suspected they were royalty, but the Queen and Princess! "Wow, and I thought I had secrets. Aren't you in for a surprise." Hiccup could see that he was confusing them, but before he could say something, fate decided to say something first, in the form of a girl and a dragon.

"Toothless! Stop! You're going to get us in trouble!" A girl's voice said from outside the castle, followed by a commotion from the guards. The females next to the him looked even more confused, while Hiccup face-palmed.

"Can't even wait for me to call him." He muttered, irritated. He turned just in time to see a black figure burst through the castle doors and jump on him. Then the figure decided for death by licking.

"Ah, Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!" Hiccup said, pushing the figure off of him.

Serves you right, the dragon simply chuffed.

"Uh, Brynjar?" Merida said. Hiccup turned around and saw Queen Elinor and Merida both with masks of complete surprise and shock.

"Yes." He said, still trying to get all of the current dragon saliva off of him while Toothless chuckled.

"I suppose you're him?" Queen Elinor said.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Brynjar. The dragon rider."

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(Merida's POV)

Merida stared at the boy in front of her. He couldn't have been no older than herself! But here he was saying he was the dragon rider. Merida stared at him with awe and disbelief. Here in front of her was a real dragon rider.

"You were the one who wanted me to come here. I was told it was because of a dragon?" Brynjar asked. Merida stayed silent, still overcome with shock. It was Queen Elinor who spoke.

"Yes. There was a wild dragon in the woods. I would've thought nothing of it, but the way...the person it attacked described it, I knew it wasn't from these lands." Merida barely heard a word her mother was saying. All of her focus was concentrated on Brynjar.

"Well, if it's from the north, I would be worried. Normally, they avoid being even close to here, they're not made for the warm temperatures here. But seeing it's winter, it would be able to stand then temperatures. It's possible..." Soon he wasn't even talking to them, he was mumbling under his breath with one hand rubbing his chin. Then a black haired girl who she hadn't noticed said something.

"Brynjar. You're doing that thing again." She said. From her tone of voice it was obvious they were friends.

"Hm? What thing?" He asked, oblivious.

"The thing were you start talking to yourself like no one else is around." She said.

"Right, sorry. Oh, right, I forgot to introduce. Setrina this is Merida and Queen Elinor. Merida, Setrina. Queen, Setrina." He said. Merida couldn't help but notice that this Setrina girl. She acted a little too friendly for her taste. As she thought this, she felt an uneasy and bile emotion rise up in her stomach, but she quickly pushed it back down. She thought she had it under control, but when Setrina grabbed Brynjar's arm with a small smile on her face, Merida felt that same feeling rise up. She wanted to ignore it, but it just wouldn't be ignored. She Merida, princes of Dunbronch, Archer extraordinaire...

...was jealous.

She felt her face burn at this sudden revelation. Could she actually be jealous? But of what? It definitely couldn't be Brynjar. She had just met this boy. She was probably even older. But he was a dragon rider. And a good-looking one at that. Merida felt her face burn again as she thought that. Why did she think that?

"Merida, sweetie, are you alright? You look like you've got a fever." Queen Elinor said, concerned. Merida shook her mum's hand off of her own, not wanting her mother to see she was blushing over some boy she just met.

"I'm fine, mum." Merida said. "Just...tired, that's all." She said, using the first excuse that came up in her head.

"Well, go get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow. You're suitors are coming to visit." Oh, joy, Merida thought. "I'll handle these three when your father gets here."

She was officially in a bad mood as she walked up the stairs, but strangely enough, instead of dreaming about shooting or being free, as she usually did, she dreamt about a man in pitch black armor, saving her from an onslaught of arrows. Her hero.

Her destiny.