Meet Me At the Halfway Point

Lets go from here

(Year One: Spring Day One)

As the birds sang outside Merida's window, the sunlight gleamed through the opening, softly hitting her face. She yawned opening her eyes and sat up to stretch moving most of her messy hair out of the way and rubbed her face, before the thought hit her.
"Hiccup's coming today!" Now fully alert, she jumped out of bed, and hurried to get ready.

When Hiccup reached the high cliffs of DunBroch, Hiccup expected to see Merida waiting for him but no such luck. He looked curiously at his map.
"Mmm- well bud, let's keep flying, according to her map, we'll know when we see the halfway point"
Toothless gave a small growl and flew down low into the forest.
It was midday when Hiccup and Toothless reached the halfway point. Hiccup realized what Merida meant when she explained "you'll know it when ya see it, trust me."
He climbed off Toothless and both of them walked to the center of the masterpiece. Huge rings of stones all lined up in a circle. Hiccup slowly walked around, hands gliding over the rocks examining them.
"This is incredible! Toothless are you seeing this? I mean this rock and its form -it's- nothing recent, it looks like it's been done thousands of years ago, the structure, and rock material-is just wow! One great meeting place, right bud?"
Toothless purred, but then his ears shot up, hearing something.
"What is it bud?" Hiccup asked, then they heard the sound again coming ahead of them.
Toothless tensed up his body, ready to pounce at any moment. Both of them continued to look around, listening in carefully, but both were not aware that there was someone coming from behind.

"GOTCHA!" Merida yelled as she wrestle the skinny boy down to the ground.
Hiccup got the air kicked right out of him and laid on the grass in defeat. Merida laugh and snorted hugging her tummy.
"Hey, sneak attacks don't count!" Hiccup said. Looking to see the source of the noise was actually Merida's horse Angus.
"Oh yes they do," said Merida once she finally calm down "In any real battle, sneak attacks can mean the difference between life 'n' death, it can save your life including your men." Using only one hand she pulled Hiccup to his feet. "And this was a great distraction," she said.
"What was?" asked Hiccup while rubbing his sore arms and shoulders.
"The rings o' stone," she said, "when ye are fighting an opponent, you only have a few seconds to examine the battlefield 'n' everything around you, best to look closely next time."
"Lessons right of the bat yeah?" Joked Hiccup.
"All this 'n' more wee boy, but it's good to see ye Hiccup."
Merida gave him an big unexpected hug, pulling back and rested her hands on her hips, and continued, "How's yer father?"
"Much better, actually off on a boat voyage with his crew, and your mom?"
"Never better, that spell really did do th' trick"
"And this place you picked Merida its...wow"
"Ye like it?" she asked.
"LIKE IT?! It's amazing, did you guys built this?"
"There are many tales about them, bit no one know really how, it's being here long before our kingdom," she answered.
"So it's a mystery."
Hiccup was then noticing that one stone was broken in half unlike the rest of them "it's from your story with your mom, this is where it happened."
"Aye it is! Bit before that, my mum told me that a great battle took place here, this was where a peace treaty was made, two great warriors with death surrounding them, decided to call a truce 'n' this was made as a symbol for the fallen brave warriors."
"Geez, way to kill the mood." Whispering it to Toothless.
"It's just a story Hiccup, lik' I said no one really knows." Merida said, nudging his shoulder.
Hiccup went on to his next question, "So is where we're gonna train?"
"Nah, I got something better planned, bit I wanted to show ye the rings o' stones first."
"For...a history lesson?"
Merida giggled a bit, "Sort o', the rings o' stones is th' centerpoint of this whole forest, if ye ever get lost, just find th' halfway point." "Come on-follow me." She said.

Merida and Hiccup walked further into the forest, if he had to guess, it was taking longer than trying to find the witch's cottage like before, but now that the snow was gone, he began to notice Merida target practices hanging from trees and took note to remember his surroundings.
Both of them walked along with Toothless and Angus following at their sides.
"So..." Hiccup started "where are we going exactly?"
"Before I was born my father has his own hunting cottage out here, but once my three brothers were born, he told me I could have it for myself, 'my own personal kingdom' he said. It's far away from everything 'n' no one travels this way, you 'n' Toothless will be safe."
"I gotta say Merida, I'm still a little nervous about all this."
"Well the same can be said about yur dragon."
Toothless shot his head up and flawed in disbelief.
Both gave a small laugh.
"But you're right Hiccup- so was I, excited- but scared too."
"Really?"
"O' course! What we're doing is dangerous, but at the same time, well- when we were both away I couldn't help but think what I said before."
"Which was?"
"About how you were flying away from home for the first time 'n' seeing new lands, it got me thinking. As a princess I may not be able to join my father in battle or ship to distant lands, but I can learn about dragons can't I?"
Hiccup nodded, "Yeah, I get what you're saying Merida, we are taking a big risk by doing this, but we can learn a lot from each other and that's a risk worth taking."

When they finally got to the cottage, Hiccup didn't know what to expect, maybe another castle fit for a princess, but nope it was just small stone house with a horse stable with a big stack of hay next to it, completed with a large enough field for Toothless to roll over and far off Hiccup saw target practices with old bows stuck in place.
"Ta da!" Merida said raising her hand as a gesture of welcome.
Toothless was more than happy to jump and roll around in the tall green grass, Merida let Angus go who hurried towards the stack of hay.
Merida gave a small nervous laugh "I may have come by early to stock up, but I don't know what dragons eat."
"Fish mostly," Hiccup looked around the area in amazement and headed towards the cottage, "good thing I saw a river nearby, he should do fine with food."

Merida grabbed his hand and headed inside, "Well, come on then."
The door pushed open and the two of them were alone inside.
There was nothing special about the cottage, a little fireplace with a small cooking pot, a desk against the wall with chairs to sit with a dusty rug underneath, and in the far end corner was a single wooden bed with a hay mattress and blanket. With only one window just above the bed to let a little bit of light in.
"Well, doesn't the princess live it up in style," teased Hiccup walking over to the table to set down his bag.
"I may be a princess but I can handle a little of dirt, can I say the same for ye?"
"Hey, I'm just joking."
Both gave in and laughed.
Crossing her arms looking around as well, "Well it's not much, bit I hope it's enough, I'll sneak ye some food tomorrow."
"Thanks, oh, hey, I have something to show you."
"Yeah?"
Hiccup opened his bag and took out the book and handed it to Merida.
"Book o' dragons?" she questioned.
"It's THEE book of dragons back from Berk, it has all the information of every dragon we know of, what it looks like, how it acts, and now how to train them."
Merida open the book and was astonished, "what is all this Hiccup? Fear class? Sharp class? Sea dragons? - all o' these dragons can be found on Berk?"
"And these are the only ones we know, there are still hundreds that haven't been discover."
"Hiccup, this is incredible, I don't even know where to start!"
"Well what do you what to know first?" He smiled.
"Everything!" she chuckled trying to find her words, "...well you're the teacher, so whatever ye want to show me is fine."
Hiccup thought of it for a moment, he could show Merida the book more, or like Gobber always said, it's best to learn on the job. "Here follow me outside."

Toothless was laying on his back, taking in all the sunlight, his tongue hanging off to the side in a playful way.
"Toothless, come here a second." Said Hiccup.
Toothless responded and jumped stood in front of both of them.
"Lesson one, princess, pet Toothless." He said smiling.
"What!" Merida said taking a few steps back. "Hiccup- ahh- I just can't-."
"I know you've eased up on Toothless, but that's only because I'm here, I know you're still a little scared."
"Well yeah, ye can't blame me, I'm still not use to seeing a giant monster."
Hiccup and Toothless exchanged a looked "First lesson of dragon training begins and ends with trust, once you gain a dragon's trust there nothing they won't do for you."
"Bit-bit maybe after I study the book, 'n' -and then maybe -tomorrow I can." Merida tried to explain nervously.
Hiccup held out his hand and offered it to her, "Here give me your hand."
Merida hesitated for a moment but then she did.
Hiccup guided her hand and Merida closed her eyes shut until her hand touched something rough and a bit bumpy, she open them and she saw her hand resting on Toothless nose.
"I can't believe it," she brought her other hand up and was holding Toothless chin with both hands.
"Hi Toothless," she exhaled a breath of relief and disbelief.
She could feel Toothless purring as the dragon extended his neck and brought her in for a hug, which Merida happily accepted.
Now she wasn't afraid anymore, "LOOK I did it!"Showing Hiccup, but she spoke to soon.
Toothless leapt in excitement landing on top of her licking all around her. And Merida was laughing along trying to block Toothless tough from her face.
Hiccup rush over to stop his dragon friend, "Hey toothless, you know that doesn't wash out."
Hiccup pushed Toothless out of the way and help Merida up. "Sorry he does that when he gets excited."
Merida's sat up and notice her hair was now standing tall and locked in place like glue, her face and dress also felt wet with slimy saliva, but Merida didn't mind at all.
"Ha! Are you kidding? - I just petted a dragon 'n' got licked by one too, not many people can say that!"
Toothless kept close by now rubbing his head against Merida side, as she happily threw her arms around him.
In that moment Hiccup looked around his surroundings and smiled, thinking to himself that this crazy idea between them could actually work out after all.
"So," interrupted a slimy Merida, "what's next?"