Meet Me At the Halfway Point

The Morning

When early morning came, Hiccup was the first to awaken. With sleepy eyes and bed head, he looked around the cottage, saw that the fire had burned out, and could hear the faint sound of birds chirping outside.

Slowly he got up to his feet, sketched and patted Toothless's back as a gesture of "good morning". Toothless grunted and flared his nostrils, not wanting to get up just yet.

Crossing his arms, he looked outside the cottage window at the freshly fallen snow, Hiccup felt oddly peacefully here. In the middle of nowhere, all his thoughts and worries were at a standstill.

Hiccup looked to his left across the cottage and saw the flamed hair princess still sleeping, her hair covered most of her face, tucked in with his blanket her chest rising and falling with each slow breath.

Thoughts of the land Dun Broch troubled him. His whole life he had learned of two great enemies, dragons and anyone from the far seas. As a boy, Hiccup was taught of Dun Broch's vast land and army, and how Berk fear the day if when all four clans came knocking at their door.

But then again Berk had been wrong about dragons, maybe the same can be for Dun Broch.

Hiccup now focused over at the princess sleeping. A small strand of hair fell over, and she unconsciously crinkle her nose to move it out of the way. Hiccup smiled towards her, he was impressed by well,-everything about her; she was tough, skilled, brave, and he be a fool if he didn't think that she was also beautiful.

Hiccup heard snow being crushed by footsteps, and saw from afar the Witch approaching. She had returned at last.

He tip toed over to the sleeping princess kneeled down and softly placed his hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "Merida? You up?"

Merida mumbled, slowly opening her eyes, "Give me a moment to wake up first mum-", she saw Hiccup above her, she stood upright, still half asleep. "Hiccup? What is it?"

"She's back."

"The witch?"

He nodded and hurried back over to the window. Merida, fully awake now threw off the blanket, grabbing her bow and placing it over she shoulder, following behind. They both looked out as the witch and Angus were just reaching the cottage now.

Hiccup placed both hands on the door handle to pull it open, but before he could the witch burst through the doors. "Hello my loyal customers! I've come back as planned.!"

Toothless was startled awake by the Witch's volume, Toothless was so confused with everything happening Toothless nose flared as if he was ready to blow out a plasma blast. Hiccup hurried over to hold Toothless back, patted his back to let him know it was ok.

"Angus!" Merida ran over and hugged her best friends safe return.

Toothless eyes narrowed as he was eyeing something just above Merida's head.

"Toothless?" asked Hiccup "What's wrong bud?"

Then something landed on top of Merida's head, it was the "witch's" blackbird friend.

"You wouldn't believe the traffic," the raven spoke.

Wide eyed, Hiccup pointed in amazement at the bird, "That bird just talked!"

The bird flew over landing on top of Toothless's head, now eye to eye with Hiccup, the bird crooking his beak at him.

"I'm a talking bird, you're a pair of fish bones, your point was?"

The witch smacked the bird away with such force that the bird was sent flying, and with a snap of her fingers the door slammed closed, shutting everybody inside.

"Oh don't mind him dearies, found him back at th' other kingdom, where it's warmer this time o' year." The Witch explained, snapping more of her finger, the fire busted back into a flame, the water filled cauldron levitated back into place and began to boil. When that was all done the Witch removed her bag, and the raven landed back on her shoulder.

"Did you get everything you need?" asked Hiccup hurrying over to her side.

"That 'n' more, my dear boy, now be a lad 'n' grab two vials."

"I'll get them," answered Merida, she pulled a glass cobber's open and grabbed two empty vials, and handed them over.

Merida and Hiccup gather near the Witch to see what she had brought back. They expected spices, odd looking objects, different colored powders, but what she really pulled out was just a flower.

Hiccup was bluffed, "You really weren't kidding when you meant an actually flower."

The Witch brought it over to the cauldron and held the flower closely to the boiling water.

"Are you ready?" asked the Witch turning to looked back that the two children standing behind her.

Both Merida and Hiccup looked at each other for a brief moment before nodding in agreement, now even more determined to save their parents. The Witch gave a wicked smile, "No going back now."

The Witch carefully placed the flower into the cauldron and all watched as it softly beamed a light that glowed so bright it filled the cottage with a presence of warm and comfort. Petal by petal the flower slowly dissolved making the water look as if it were made of gold.

The Witch turned back to the children, "Now for this to work I need two strands of hair EACH."

The old witch wasted no time as she reach over and yanked a string of hair from them, placed it in the cauldron and watched it disappear.

Quickly grabbing the two vials she scooped them into the water and filled it with water of the magic golden flower.

As quickly as the ritual started, it was now done. The Witch turned with a delighted smile, pleased of her hard work and handed the vials over to the children.

When both Hiccup and Merida each had their own vial, they looked at each other then down at the vials in disbelief. Simultaneously both asked the same question.

"That's it?!"

"That's it" said the witch.

Merida spoke first, "You sure if I give this to my mum, she will get better?"

"The moment she drinks it she'll be at her healthiest."

"No bears?"

Placing her hand over her heart "A witch's promise" the witch smiled with gleam.

"A-and they'll be safe?" asked Hiccup.

"No sickness in the world will hurt them now, but sacrifice is one sickness that no one can save them from."

Hiccup was confused by that respond but his thoughts were interrupted as the witch continued to speak.

"The clock is now ticking, you best be heading off. No rush but last time you stayed for too long, dear princess, you blew up my cottage."

"Tick tock, tick tock," the raven spoke.

Toothless eyed the bird and growled as the bird cocked his head from side to side.

The raven snapped his break at the dragon, "What are you looking at black cat?"

Hiccup patted Toothless to calm him down, "Come on buddy, we've got to head back."

"Come on now, go, go," the witch hurried on and pushing everyone to the doorway.

Everyone stood in the deep snow outside the cottage now. Merida placed the vial in her back pocket, and Hiccup placed the vial inside his vest before hurrying to put his fur coat on.

The Witch stood outside her door and with one last snap of her finger she said her final words.

"Good luck to both of you!" she snapped her fingers and the door shut closed, then open again to see the cottage was empty. The witch had disappeared leaving both the princess, the almost Viking, and their two animal friends alone in the cold forest again.