Merida and Angus had arrived back at Dunbroach as quickly as possible, although she was certain that Hiccup had been much faster. Once Angus was secured at the stables she began the task of slipping back into the castle and up to her chambers. As she entered the room, the first alarm of the ships had began to reach the castle.
Although excited to see her Mother, Merida knew that the Queen would not tolerate her current state. Quickly, the princess darted around her room, changing out of the riding gown she'd worn, Merida dug through the wardrobe near her bed, deciding on a simple blue dress. It reminded her slightly of the dress her mother had made her wear years before, when the Lords had their sons asked for her hand. Shrugging off the memory, she threw the dress on the bed and moved to wash away any dirt from her face. Afterwords, she brushed out what she could of her hair, tying it back and slipping into the new dress.
Twirling slightly to watch her reflection in the mirror across her room, Merida smiled. "Not bad," She tsked before darting out of the room. Running down the halls and the stairs dividing the castle she was in the the Main hall in a flash. Scanning the room she saw her father -King Fergus- and Maudie, the triplets ever-nervous nursemaid, speaking in elated tones towards the front of the crowded room. Merida snickered, watching as her father's arms moved when he spoke, the gestures even escalating to Fergus picking Maudie up in his excitement.
"Dad?" Merida called from the stairs, gaining her fathers attention.
The King turned to face her, an eager expression shining across his aged face. Although his hair had yet to turn entirely grey, his features certainly aged him substantially. "Merida!" He replied, half-running on his prosthetic leg to the base of the stairs. "You'll never guess who's returned."
"I think I have an idea, dad." Merida retorted as she trotted down the rest of the stairway. She patted her father's shoulder as she slipped by, trying to be as reassuring as she could.
"I'll see you at the docks lass!" She heard her father, but was to giddy to reply. Afterword, she faintly heared him tell Maudie to wake the triplets along with a few other frazzled words as he himself got ready to meet the ships.
The docks of DunBroch were diffrent in every way from Berk. The long wooden planks stuck blanatly out across the still waters, and the surrounding land seemed to ebb and flow along with the ocean.
As opposed to Berk, where the land and sea seemed to constantly be clashing, forcing eachother into a rage of water and stone.
Sometimes, Merida would wonder how a place like Berk ever came to be. Because a tiny town situated on a cliff would not normally seem formidable. But vikings -she assumed- were born diffrent in some way.
Either way, it wasn't the right moment to think about that. Merida had been on her way to the docks before a blink of an eye, rushing down the stoney gravel road, and toward the ships. Within another moment she saw the Queen, stepping steadily from one of the farther ships.
"Mum!" Merida exclaimed, racing down the long dock and quickly embracing Elinor, her mother. Merida's head rested against the queen's shoulder. The older woman let out a sigh that sounded something like relief, or possibly just exhaustion. Her eyes scanned the isle, towards the forest, and to the castle that overlooked the cliffs, the tired, dreamy look in her eyes remaining as still as she did.
"My wee darling, I'm glad Hiccup tracked you down in time," Elinor cooed, kissing Merida lightly on the temple before stepping back from her. Merida thought for a moment about mentioning the whips, but quicklt decided against it.
The queen looked at her daughter for a moment, as if she'd expected Merida to look any different. To her relief, the princess had remained roughly the same as when they'd left Berk. Her hair was a little longer -twisted into an attempt at a braid- and she dressed only a little more like a princess than a hunter, but the same light showed from her ocean blue eyes. "I've missed you so much dear, where's you father and brothers?" She asked, a hand still resting on Merida's shoulder.
"They're fine mum, we weren't sure which ship you would be on, so they're with the others." Moving to take her mother's hand, Merida guided her back towards the boardwalk that connected the docks together. "We can go find them, if you'd like. Or we can get you settled back into the castle."
The queen nodded, her salt-and-peppered hair falling lightly over her shoulders as she did so. "Either would be lovely, but first there's someone I'd like you to meet." Turning, the queen waved her hand lightly, signalling for another women to step off from her place on the ship. "Merida," The queen began. "This is Valka, she's an old friend of mine and she returned to Berk only a short while after you'd all departed."
Merida curtsied as best she could, and examined the older woman. She was tall, with a naturally lean figure. Her round features made her look youthful even with her visible age. She also had long hair, held back by three thick braids. "It's nice to meet you Valka," Merida smiled. "I'm sorry we missed you before." Merida continued as she picked apart the woman's appearance. Valka had an unusual familiarity, something Merida couldn't place.
Valka smiled back at Merida, extending a hand to the queen as she did so. "It's nice to meet you too, your mother has told me an awful lot about you." She then placed her hands on her hips and seemed to examine the princess for a moment before turning to Elinor. "Although I don't think you description gave her justice your majesty." The two women laughed, and Merida blushed, realizing to quickly that there was another conversation going on.
"Mom," Merida repeated, "shouldn't we go find dad?" The queen nodded, taking her daughter's hand again as they began to meander up the long stretch of dock. "You seem so much better mom," Merida whispered, smiling down slightly towards her mother. "it is really great to have you back. I missed you."
Elinor looked at her daughter. She enclosed Merida's hand a bit tighter, before replying "I missed you to."
YOU ARE READING
Wanderlust
FanfictionHiccup Horrendous Haddock the third had officially become the new chieftain to the Isle of Berk, a relatively small island planted in the freezing north. It was something everyone had needed adjusting to, but a title that was well deserved. Along wi...
