Bond of Two Lands

19. Proposition Confirmed

"I've made mi decision."
The breakfast table practically crumbled of nervosity. Eleonore waited stoically, the boys exchanged their meat with the dogs and hoped that their mother wouldn't notice, Hiccup swallowed multible times in a row while the girls on his sides seemed to be about to raise weapon.
"Tell us then, dear", Eleanore said. Merida could sense in her voice that the answer wasn't one she'd fancy.
"There will be a wedding." Fergus announced. "But only..."
"Dad!" Merida flew up on her feet. "Ya can't be serious! One wee letter from yer cousin and ya expect his lad and me to wed? I won't do it! Hiccup doesn't want it either!"
"Eh, Merida? You should probably calm down for a..." Hiccup said.
"Don't ya dare tell me what to do, Hiccup Haddock! Ya may be mi forced-upon-fiancé, but that's as far as it goes!"
"He didn't mean anything"; Astrid said, sharing a trustful look with the princess while actually managing to get her seated again. "As you said - he didn't ask for this either."
"Enough with the complains. I didn't want to do this to ya, kids, but this is now a matter of peace and treaty, which I must take seriously. Besides, ya'll just do what we've all done before ya; marry for the greater good. And it does turn out splendidly sometimes."
Merida gave her father a glance lacking of enthusiasm. "Ya and Mum are the exception, Dad."
"I wasn't finished." Fergus took his time to pull his sons' meat from a dog. "There will be a wedding... but only if Stoik the Vast himself comes here to confirm that this is a legit proposition and not a trick from one of our joint enemies."
Hiccup stared for a second, unable to decide wheather he was relieved or more frightened than ever. "So... no wedding until my father comes here?"
The Viking girl lay a hand on his. "Hiccup, I think it might be time to tell them that..."
"Milord and milady!" All heads turned to see Maudie enter the hall, busy to both be humble and rush at the same time. She stopped at Fergus chair, panting. "Milord, ya have a visitor!"
"A visitor? At this time? Who is it, Maudie?"
The woman glanced over the room the quickest of times but stalled a nano-second by the Vikings before looking her king in the eye. "Stoik the Vast, milord, Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe on Berk."

Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke. Finally, Merida said: "Well, that's unexpected."
"My dad is here?" Hiccup gasped. "How in Thor's name did that happen? Astrid, he isn't even supposed to known we're here!"
"Well..." Astrid twisted the fabric in her shirt around her fingers. "We weren't especially subtle, Hiccup, leaving right after your argument and all. I'm actually more surprised that they haven't arrived sooner."
"What talk is this?" Fergus rose to his full length. "How could he not know that yer here?"
"Apparently he does, so that doesn't matter. The question now is where my dad is and how soon I will have him screaming at me."
"The Chief is waiting by the gates, milord", Maudie squeaked.
Hiccup buried his face in his hands. "Oh, Gods. Are you kidding me?"
"I'm not..."
"Thank ya, Maudie", Eleanore said. "Would ya please let the Chief of Berk in?"
The servant disappeared faster than Snotlout chased by an insulted Hookfang. She returned not too long after with the stomping of full-grown Viking behind her. The next minute, Stoik the Vast entered the hall with one hand on the axe. "Fergus."
"Stoik!" Fergus said. "How nice to see ya, auld friend. Please join us by mi table."
"I will, but first I must have a word with my son."
Hiccup and Astrid gave each other gloomy glances as Hiccup followed his father out. He seemed like nothing more than a little boy in trouble. Meanwhile, Stoik took steps so loud that the kitchen servants, who'd snook out of their working area to catch a glimpse of the since long gone warrior, frightfully escaped through minor halls. Father and son stopped.
"Hiccup..." Stoik began. Then both he and the younger Viking exclaimed: "I'm sorry." at once.
"You're sorry?" Hiccup said. "Well... why?"
"The letter. I didn't know about your position and wanted to create an insurance."
"Oh, that. Yeah, we could've managed without it. I had the troops there for a while, you know. Before they decided that I would be their future king, that is."
"And you're sorry that you ran away"; Stoik smoothly said.
"That... would be correct to assume, yes. But I did it for The Edge, dad, I did it to help our people."
"I know. That's why I'm not angry at you. But you know that this alliance of your isn't anything in the long run, son. The minute those troops see the dragons they'll go up the boats back here."
Hiccup shrugged. "I thought it was worth a shot."
"It was, and it still is. But what we need is a proper, well-thought plan. And we definitely need to reinsure the alliance."
"Wait... just wait. Are you saying that you too think that I should marry the princess?"
"Is it really such a bad idea, son? I know you're smitten with Astrid, but you need to face it - Dun Broch and Berk united is better for the future of our people. Can you see that, Hiccup?"
"I'm not smitt..." Hiccup looked at the hall door in the distance. "I don't see it, Dad. I don't at all see it."