Bond of Two Lands

20. One Or The Other

"I can't believe him! He and the king actually thinks that us getting married is a good idea. How crazy is that?"
"Pretty crazy",Merida agreed. "Although I've been through this before. The whole suiter-thing, I mean. I think I can talk at least mi dad out of it."
"But what about mine?" The heir threw a gloomy look around the dashing settings which were the Scottish castle forest without seeing the possibilites for mapping as he usually did. All three of them had gone here to have an emergency meeting after breakfast. "Stoik the Vast isn't exactly known for being easily persuaded. Once an idea's stuck to his head, it stays there."
Astrid took his hand. "There is always a solution if one only thinks strategic. Like your father, for example. He thought you were in danger here and sent the letter to stall procedures. Now we have to do the same."
"I know. It's just... I can't think straight, that's all. I guess him doing that behind my back was kind of... I don't know, like a betrayal or something. At least it feels like one."
"He was just being as stubborn as members of this family generally are", Merida muttered. "Including yerself and me, Hiccup. Loosing that leg must've taken ya quite some guts."
"Oh... that." The Vikings glanced at one another. "You know, accidents happen."
The princess' horse, Angus, neighed and played with a bunch of dry branches on the ground like Terrible Terrors with mice. Or like Toothless with sparks. The last thought left even more sadness in Hiccup's mind.
"Stop it", Astrid said, making him jump.
"What?"
"I can see that you're thinking about Toothless. Don't you worry, Stoik said he's safe and sound now. Remember?"
"I guess." They smiled at each other in the way people only can when they're each other's last sense of reason in a world gone mad.
Merida's caugh brought them back to the glade and the windy day in the Highlands. "Excuse me for asking, but who's Toothless?"
"He is... eh..." Astrid began.
"He's our..."
"Servant!"
"Yer servant? I thought ya Vikings did things the good auld way, roughly and by yerselves."
"We used to, although nowadays we're totally upgraded. Like, to the standard that we're not even making our own beds. You won't see any Vikings doing anything but slopping around these days, ha ha." A nervous laughter slipped from his mouth.
The princess' turquoise eyes narrowed. "And why's he called Toothless? I know ya have loads of strange names, but still..."
"He's a bit too heavy on the mead", Astrid said in a low, hushing her voice. "All of his teeth are long gone. A shame for his family, actually. His real name is Snotlout."
Hiccup couldn't help but smiling, and Astrid felt content to both have avoided a catastrophe and cheering him up at once. Despite that, she felt somewhat awkward about lying to her new friend.
Merida, though, didn't seem to notice her guilt. "I suggest we simply refuse to be wed, and if that doesn't work, we refer to our close kinship."
"And it that doesn't work?" Astrid asked.
"Then ya'll go to one of yer other allies. Ya have more of them, right? Great. And I'll tag along with Maudie to Dingwall's for a while. They'll welcome me with open arms."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" The girls got onto their feet within the same heartbeat. "How about we see what can beat the distance best - bow or axe."
"Wait a second." Hiccup said. It took him a little longer to stand up due to his peg leg, and it made Astrid feel ashamed that she forgot about his condition. "That is indeed a functional plan, but what about the troops? We really need them to save out outpost."
Angus neighed again, this time to fight of a group of Night Terrors. The noise only made the three of them want to leave even more, but they had an inevitable issue to deal with first.
Astrid put her axe in the soil and turned to the other dragon rider. "I hate to say it, Hiccup, but maybe we should let go of The Edge."
"Let go?"
"It wouldn't be the end of the world to let them have it. Your future is to be Chief, Hiccup. The Chief of Berk."
The words hit him like spikes. They were formed and put together by the girl in front of him, his partner-in-battle, but they might as well have been said by no other than Stoik the Vast. Suddenly, out of nowhere, his subconcience made the decision he'd dreaded for him.
"I see", he simply said. "You go practise. I'll meet up with you later."
Astrid followed him with her glance all the way out of the glade. The chilliness in his voice was one that she'd never heard before in all the years she'd known him. And it frightened her.
"What was that?" Merida shook her head, making a cascade of red fall over her humbly dressed shoulders. "Strange lad, that one. But not stranger than mi brothers, strangely. How about it, now? Bow or axe, was it?"
The blonde forced a smile. "Bow or axe it is."

~~~~~

Not too far away, the king and queen of Dun Broch sat in company of the Chief of Berk in the throne room. Stoik had no problems avoiding the question of why he'd broken the alliance in the first place - his answer was always that their mead cups needed a refill. Eleanore, however, didn't drink as violently as the men. She simply watched them in all of her royal calmness.
"I've been missing ya, auld man!" Fergus stuttered. "No one to go hunting with these days! All mi men lacks of that blood thirst we share - some of them can't even slay a dragon!"Stoik coughed up some drops on the table. Maudie was quick to clean it up with a towel and an uneasy expression, for the big man still scared her. "Is that so, Fergus?"
"Indeed. It's a sad sight for already sore eyes, I'm telling ya! Not all have yer lad's guts." He leaned closer. "What did he really do to lose that leg of his? I bet it was a Monstrous Nightmare."
"Oh, it was..."
The Chief was relieved to hear the door behind them open. However, before anyone had the time to invite Hiccup to sit down, he said: "I'm doing it. Fergus, Eleanore, Dad - I'll marry princess Merida."

Hello!
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Thanks in advance // Fish-out-of-Water-5