Back Then (Mericcup)

Chapter 13: Wisps

~~HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 🥳 I hope this coming year is good to you all!~~

"I swear I'll kill ye if ye don't leave my mum alone," Merida sneered.

"Merida, what's goin' on?" her father questioned.

"Is he controlling her?" Hiccup asked.

"Aye," Merida replied.

Elinor smirked and stood up. Merida thrusted the sword closer to her neck.

"Ye're not getting away," Merida declared.

Valka stood flabbergasted, unsure of what to do.

"I know this might seem off but she is being controlled by a sorcerer who wants to steal something from this castle," Hiccup explained.

Elinor chuckled and shook her head.

"What, sorcerer?" Merida growled.

"You two are so clueless," she cackled.

"I've been told you don't believe in fate, that you'll do anything to prove you are of your own free will. You'd even hurt your own mother. So what would you do if I told you you were the reason he dies?" She smirked and pointed at Hiccup, "He'll protect you, but you'll leave him all alone and yet he'll only think of you."

"What?" Merida breathed.

Elinor stepped back, her evil grin never faltering. Before Merida could process the situation Elinor fainted. Fergus was able to catch her in his arms before she fell.

"Merida, you can't believe anything he says," Hiccup tried to reason with her.

"Ah know but I... I..." Merida continued to stare at the ground with an unblinking gaze.

"I need to clear my head," Merida quickly told them as she ran off.

"Merida, wait!" Hiccup called after her.

"What happened? Where am I?" Elinor whispered as she slowly looked around.

"Go after her Hiccup, we'll take care of Elinor," his mom told him.

Hiccup quickly nodded and ran off in Merida's direction.

~~Meanwhile~~

"How long have you been training?" Ryan inquired as he cautiously looked around the corner.

"What do you mean?" Astrid replied with her axe ready.

He nodded and walked around the corner to show the coast was clear.

"You're an amazing fighter, you must have started pretty young," Ryan told her.

"Well, yeah. When you live on an island that gets attacked by dragons every single day, you get taught how to... fight back at a young age," Astrid told him.

Toothless and Stormfly nudged her. She placed her axe down, smiled and rubbed their heads.

"But that's all in the past. Now, our children can learn how to live with dragons. We'll teach them how to defend themselves once they're older," Astrid told him.

"You'll make a good mom," Ryan complimented her. "That is, if you want to be a mom."

"What makes you think I don't want to be one?" Astrid asked.

"You seemed a bit hesitant back when Merida asked," Ryan replied.

"Of course I want children I just..." Astrid picked up her axe again.