Winds of Change

Chapter Eleven

Gasping, Hiccup opened his eyes to see a canopy overhead. He looked around. He was in a stone room, with a vanity on one wall, a rack of swords and such on the other, and several thin windows in front of him. "Ow," he said, rubbing his head. His head was killing him. Flashes of two dragons fighting, dancing, and three children flashed in front of him. His heart started beating, faster and faster, until he couldn't remember why he was so scared. Why would he be? He was in a safe place.

A knock came at the door, and a man with curly red hair stepped in, grinning mischievously. "Hello, Big Brother," he said. "Glad to see you're up."

"With a killer headache."

The man laughed. "Well, duh! I can't even count how much mead you drank last night! Come on, Mer let you sleep in long enough. You have a kingdom to run, after all."

"Gimme a sec."

Rolling onto his feet, Hiccup raised his hands above his head. "Breakfast?" he asked.

"Missed it. By three hours."

Hiccup's stomach rumbled, and his headache worsened. "Where is she?"

"Nursery. Are you absolutely, positively sure that I shouldn't carry you?"

"Nice try, H. I may be an invalid, but I'm not that crippled."

H shrugged. "Your funeral."

Another man poked his head into the room, completely identical to H. "Hubert," he said, "Maudie made pies."

Hubert grinned. "Cooling on the window?"

The other man winked. "Harris is already down there."

Hubert clapped his brother on the back. "Hamish, get ready for a feast!"

Hamish looked at Hiccup. "Are you sure you can make it to the nursery on your own?"

Hiccup glared at both of them, and squeezed past them. "Yes. Yes I am."

Hiccup walked through the narrow stone walls, marveling at all of the tapestries. Reaching a door, he knocked softly on it, and opened it.

"... and chomp! Granddad's leg was clean off!" A woman with impossibly red, curly hair was telling a story to a child, while holding a baby in her arms. 

"That my favorite part," the child whispered, also with red hair, though not as wild.

The woman looked up. "Hiccup!" she said. "Yer up!"

"And with a killer headache. How are you feeling, Merida?"

She snorted. "Tired." She stood up and put the baby in the crib, and walked over to Hiccup, wrapping her arms around his neck. "How did ye sleep?" she whispered. 

"Surprisingly well for someone with a hangover." He wrapped his arms around her waist. She kissed his cheek, and stayed there. Hiccup looked down. The young child was trying to climb his peg leg, but kept slipping. "Mummy," he asked, "can ye sing for me?"

"Aye, Euan, I can. What do ye want me to sing?" Merida asked, picking up Euan. 

"The one about screaming!"

"Ooo, good one. Daddy hasn't heard that one yet." The three of them sat down in a circle, and Merida started singing.

"Though I may speak some tongue of old, or even spit out some holy word. I have no strength of which to speak, when ye sit me down and see I'm weak." Her voice was low and clear. Definitely an alto. "We will run and scream, ye will dance with me, We'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free." Hiccup grabbed Merida's hand as she was humming, and spun her around. His  left hand went to her waist, hers to his shoulder. Their right hands clasped, and they were dancing.

"We will run and scream," Merida sang, "ye will dance with me. We'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free. We will be who we are, and they'll heal our scars, sadness will be far away.

"So I had done wrong, but ye put me right, my judgement burned in the black of night. When I give, less than I take. It is my fault, my own mistake.

"We will run and scream, ye will dance with me. We'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free. We will be who we are, and they'll heal our scars, sadness will be far away."

Merida stopped humming. Hiccup bowed, and Merida curtsied, still holding hands. "That was beautiful, milady," Hiccup said.

"And ye, sir, are an excellent dancer."

"Sing it again!" Euan shouted. 

"Not now, little prince," Merida said. "I think Maudie made pies!"

"Pie! Pie! Pie!"

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I think your brothers took them already."

"Well, as queen, I can order them back," Merida said grinning. "Come on! I know she always makes a few extras. Oh, wee lass," Merida said, picking up the wailing baby. "Hiccup, can ye hold her for a moment?"

Merida picked up the baby girl and gently lowered her into Hiccup's arms. She was so small. A dragon, blood dripping from it's jaw, standing over the bodies of three children. Hiccup faltered. "Is everything okay, darling?" Merida asked, worry etching her face.

A large man in a kilt burst into the room. "Yer majesties," he said, bringing a fist to his heart. "The three Clans are attacking. What are we going to do?"

"All of them?" Merida asked, dumbstruck. 

"Aye, Mum. All three."

"We fight. Please get Maudie to take care of my children."

"Yes, Mum." The man saluted again, and ran out of the room.

"Pitch," mumbled Hiccup. Merida jumped.

"How do ye know that name?" she asked. 

"This isn't real."

"What do ye mean, 'this isn't real?'"

Hiccup put the baby girl into her crib, and grabbed Merida's arms. "I am dreaming. This is a nightmare, Merida. It's what Katherine warned me about."

"Katherine? Who's Katherine?"

"No one; I only met her once, briefly."

"So... Is this really a nightmare?"

Hiccup looked around, noticing little flecks of black sand. "Yes. It is. And I can guarantee you that the attackers will reach Maudie and kill her and the two children."

Merida looked into Hiccup's eyes. "How are we going to fight it?"

"We don't." Katherine's voice filled Hiccup's head. Change is a powerful force. "We need to change something."

"What?"

"I don't know. Anything, maybe?"

Cold laughter filled the dream, and high-pitched screaming. "We need to get out of here," Merida said.

Sounds of a battle filtered up through the castle. "Euan!" Merida shouted.

"Merida, stop! He's not real! No one is."

She sobbed into his shirt. "I don't want to feel useless."

"Do you trust me?" Hiccup asked.

Merida looked at him. "What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Aye. With my life."

Hiccup grabbed Merida's hand, and brushed a lock of hair away from her face. He kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you when I wake up."

Hiccup started to walk away, but Merida stayed put, their hands still intertwined. Merida pulled Hiccup to her, and kissed him. Hiccup melted, gently cupping her face in his hands. They broke apart. 

"Was that my good luck kiss?" Hiccup asked.

"This is a dream. What do ye think?"

Hiccup bowed to Merida, and ran out of the room. "Pitch!" he bellowed. Brushing his fingers against the stone wall, he urged himself to feel the grains of sand. Once sand was all he felt, he urged the castle, the entire dream, to crumble to dust.  He fell through his own mind.

Gasping, he opened his eyes.