Elements of Change-Ch:14

Genre: Crossover

Brave

How to Train Your Dragon

CLAIMER: ANY OCS BELONG TO ME.

Hiccup's heart beat faster and faster as he ran. Despite him missing a leg, they moved very fast across the forest floor. Was he excited? Fearful? Both? It all didn't matter as he knew what he was running for, and now there was no stopping him. As he tripped over rocks and roots, he recalled the events that led to this moment:

Hiccup was back in the home of MacGuffin, the Queen standing before him, fear mixed with panic and surprise swirling in her eyes.

"Oh, hi mum!" Merida said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mysteriously dreary mood of the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry to tell you this, lass." said Elinor, giving a sigh of relief as she calmed herself down. "But we have to return home as soon as possible."

"WHAT?" Merida looked to her father, who was still reading the recently received letter. Merida stormed over the the King, snatched the paper that he was only half-done reading and began reading its contents. Her eyes narrowed more and more as she neared the bottom, and when she finished she handed it back to her father to finish. Without a word she stormed past Hiccup and Cathal, who were still confused as ever, and down the hall toward her room.

"What's going on?" said Hiccup, turning back to the Queen.

She sighed. "There was a strange occurrence at the castle. Our High General wrote to us, saying a beast crawled into the castle grounds. They're not sure what it is, but they mentioned they managed to shoot its right shoulder as it crawled into the forest."

Wait. The beast is at their home...and they want to go back? Hiccup thought to himself, though he dared not speak aloud in front of Her Majesty.

"Did they say what it looked like?" asked Lord MacGuffin. "In case it crawls all the way here, we can notify you."

"It just says here that the guards said it was large, and black. The events happened last night." The King said still reading.

Large? Black? Beast? Hiccup raced through his mind, creating all sorts of images with his imagination. Though as one flashed by, he could help but be reminded of someone he once loved dearly. Toothless? Hiccup was horror-struck. What if it was Toothless? But how could he get all they way here? Did they say they injured it? But a down dragon is a dead dragon as Gobber always said.

"Hiccup, are ye alright?"

Hiccup jumped a bit at Cathal's voice. Blinking, he had realized that his eyes were growing with each question that he had run through his mind. He looked around the room, examining the panicked adults, then he grabbed Cathal's arm and tried pulling him away. Unfortunately Cathal was about three times his size and was only jerked about one step.

"What are ye doin'?" he said as Hiccup tried pulling him again.

"C'mon! We have to find Merida!" his voice shook as he spoke.

The larger boy gave in and they ran down the hall to find Merida busily packing all her belongings in such a rush. She ran back and forth, grabbing dresses and belts, throwing some of the things she grabbed into her brothers' bags that she had lined up on the floor. The boys themselves were no where in sight.

"Merida, we have to talk!" panted Hiccup, catching his breath with every syllable.

"No time fer that." Merida continued running around. "Mah home has been attacked by some strange beast an' ah need ta get back ta get rid of it."

"Wait, Merida. You don't have to do that!"

"An' why not?"

"Because it's Toothless!"

Merida stopped dead in her tracks. Though she raised one of her eyebrows in confusion, and Hiccup gave her a minute or two to remember. Soon her eyes lit up and she dropped everything in her arms. Cathal also widened his eyes and stared at Hiccup.

"Yer dragon?"

"Yes."

"But ah thought he couldn't fly without ye." Cathal put in, remembering Hiccup's stories.

"Believe me, I know it's him. What other strange beast could it be?"

Merida put a hand on his shoulder. "Ah know ye miss him. But seriously, Hiccup. Th' chances of-"

"Look, I KNOW IT'S HIM!" Hiccup jerked away from her hand.

Merida slowly retracted her hand, "Alright, so what if it is him? What are ye supposed ta do about it?"

"I'll go find him."

""Hiccup, th' entire village is probably hunting him now. How do ye expect ta find him before them?"

He turned back towards her. "I don't have to. Knowing Toothless, he'd find me first."

Merida and Cathal exchanged looks, a bit of disbelief in their eyes. But Merida shook her head and looked back at Hiccup.

"Alright, but ah'm goin' with ye." she said.

"Merida, I don't need protection. And I don't care if you don't think it's him."

"Ah never said ah was goin' ta protect ye."

"But-"

"First off, yer useless in th' woods. Ye don't know yer lefts and rights or yer ups and downs."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, though he knew it was true. The most he could do is run around in circles.

"Second, Ah wouldn't want ta miss a chance ta see a real life dragon!" she beamed up suddenly, a giant smile reaching all the way to her ears.

Hiccup returned her smile, though deep in his heart he knew she was only looking out for him so he wouldn't get into any trouble.

"Well, if she's goin', ah might as well go too." said Cathal, reminding them he was still there.

"Are you sure? Because-" Hiccup stopped talking once he saw Cathal's eyebrow raise, giving him a look that said: You're really going to try to talk me out of this? Instead of finishing, Hiccup sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Okay. But you should know what he looks like. He's black, large, yellow-ish green-ish eyes, black wings, black claws-"

"Black teeth?" Merida cut in, rolling her eyes.

Hiccup glared at her. "No. White teeth."

"But ah thought he didn't have teeth. Since ye call him 'Toothless' an' all." Cathal cocked his head at them.

"They're retractable." Hiccup explained. "I thought I told you earlier this afternoon."

"Sorry...forgot..." Cathal rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, though Hiccup and Merida forgave him quickly and continued with their conversation.

"Well, knowin' mum, we'll probably leave tomorrow mornin'. But she wouldn't let us go out at all till she was sure whatever was at th' castle was caught or dead."

A shiver went down Hiccup's spine as he thought of his best friend being killed.

"So...what do we do?" Cathal said timidly.

"Sneak out." Merida's tone was blunt, and she shrugged her shoulders as if everyone should have known the solution already.

"So it's settled then?" Hiccup was eager to go pack his things so they could leave, even though they weren't leaving till morning anyway.

Merida and Cathal exchanged looks one last time before nodding.

"Let's go!"

Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as they expected. It was decided by the Queen that she, Merida, Hiccup and the triplets would remain at the house of MacGuffin till the beast was found.

"But mum!" Merida protested. Excluding the fact that it interrupted her plans, Merida didn't like to be seen as weak.

"No 'buts.' Merida, I know you're eager to catch it and show your strength, but it would kill me if something ever happened to you." the Queen placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

Merida sighed, though she understood. Normally she would have kept fighting, but her love for her mother was greater than the sword. Instead she nodded and headed towards Hiccup and Cathal's room to tell them the news. They didn't take it so easy either.

"Hiccup, you an' I are stayin' here till th' hunt is off." she grumbled.

"WHAT?" Hiccup had already began making plans on how they could find his dragon in the most effective way, and he was also teaching Cathal the best ways to approach his friend without scaring him.

He kept grumbling and murmuring as Merida explained it was her mother's idea, though he really knew that was the safest thing for the Queen to decide.

"Well, what about me?" asked Cathal, noticing how his name wasn't mentioned.

"Yer big an' strong. Yer dad will probably invite ye t' go on th' hunt." Merida gave another sigh, disappointed at the results of everything.

"Oh..." Cathal looked down, sad that he was the only one that could go.

Though Hiccup was still angry. His friend was out in the wild, only a forest away and all he could do was sit around waiting for him to get captured or killed. If he could just find Toothless, he could go home. He could see all the friends and family he left behind. He could see his dad, and Astrid, and the dragons, and everyone in the Academy.

With a determined look, he turned toward Cathal and Merida. "I'm going anyway." He didn't even wait for them to respond. His metal leg squeaked as he stomped out of the room, trying to find a solitary place to think. Through the hall, he passed Brian and Catan who were arguing whether or not Catan could join the hunt, but they stopped as they saw Hiccup coming, his face red and eyes lit up like fire. But Hiccup didn't even notice and he stormed right passed them, and eventually made his way outside. He didn't know where he was going, but he just circled the house a few times, thinking and examining good escape routes so he could follow the hunting party out, but it didn't seem like there was much he could do without being spotted or breaking his back. There was one promising area, where there weren't many guards and the way out wasn't through a window that was over thirty feet high, but it was through a cellar door that was locked, and there would be no getting through it without making a racket.

Groaning and sighing, he lied down in the snow covering his forehead with the icy flakes to calm his headache. He watched small wisps of smoke escape his mouth as he breathed in and out.

Maybe I should just run and try to find him on my own. He thought, but he shook his head and covered himself with more snow. No, I'd just get lost and probably die. Grabbing his hair in frustration, he felt some of the snow melt through his scalp and drip onto the ground. Not long after his hands relaxed, and his arms flopped to the ground as a tear followed the melting snow to the ground. ...I was so close...

Suddenly he looked up to find three heads peering down at him. Startled, he took in a breath, but relaxed again once he realized who it was. Hamish, Hubert and Harris giggled to see his surprise, but as quickly as they came, they sped off through the yard, accidentally kicking some of the snow into Hiccup's face.

Shaking his head, he sat up to see the triplets motioning and gesturing to him to follow. Not wanting to play at the moment, he laid back down in the snow, distressed. Unfortunately this act of apathy didn't phase the princes, and they ran over to him and began pulling at his arms and head, trying to get him to stand up.

"Ow! Knock it off!" he yelled, but he gave in once Hubert began pulling at his hair. "Alright, fine! What is it?" He stood up, brushing the snow off his clothes.

The three brothers giggled and ran off turning a corner around the house. Hiccup sighed, though he knew if he didn't follow, they'd just make him do it eventually. He ran after them, though he couldn't go as fast as they did with his prosthetic. But when he turned the same corner they did, he stopped as they were nowhere in sight.

He sighed, figuring the game was over and turned to where he had come from, though there was no point as he could have just laid down in the snow there. But once he did, the princes appeared again and jumped in front of him.

"Wha-? How do you keep doing that?"

They giggled some more and ran past him, running to the middle of the wall where they waited for him to follow. This time a bit of interest perked in him and he inched his way toward them slowly, afraid he would miss whatever they were about to do. Suddenly, Harris pushed in a large brick in the wall, revealing a tiny crawling space just big enough for one person. Eyes wide, Hiccup got on his hands and knees, not caring that the snow was numbing his red fingers. The tunnel ran upward, toward a warm room with a fire going. Carefully, Hiccup began climbing upward, clawing the the stones to keep his grip when hoisting himself up. His prosthetic scraped along the floor, making quite a racket as he continued. Eventually he made it to the top, and he found himself in a large room with an aroma that made him rather hungry. All around, there were smoked meats drying from the ceiling and shelves. The glowing of a fire Hiccup had seen earlier was underneath a large row of meats, and though Hiccup was no cook, he could have guessed it was a boar.

Excited just as much as he was surprised, Hiccup's heart beat faster and faster as he once again accumulated a plan through his mind to escape the walls diving him from his friend. His thoughts were only interrupted when his three helpers scooted in front of him, giggling with delight.

"Thanks." said Hiccup, coming to his senses, "But how did you know I needed-" he stopped himself as he noticed a sort of glare similar to the one Merida had given him many times before planted on each of their faces as if to say: You thought no one would notice you circling around the mansion over and over looking up and down the walls?

"Thanks." Hiccup said again, and he proceeded to exit the room to know exactly where it was in the massive house. Unfortunately, the triplets weren't finished and they ran in front of him again, nearly tripping the poor viking.

"What is it?" said Hiccup, expecting them to disappear and hear of their pranks and mischievous deeds at dinner time.

The one in the middle stuck out a hand, open and facing upward as if demanding something. Hiccup's shoulders sagged as he let out a quiet groan. They had shown him what he wanted, now they demanded payment.

"Merida was right, you guys are devils."

"Ach, it smells in here." Merida complained as she slid gently down the stony shaft.

"Shh!" Hissed the eager viking boy who had already descended down into the snow.

The actual hunting party had already left just an hour before, Cathal being forced to go with them. Thanks to the princes' help, and Hiccup sneaking a few treats for them, the viking and the princess went ahead with their plan hoping to find what everyone else wanted to hunt. Not sure how long of a journey they would be on, they packed a few days food in small satchels they could swing over their shoulders, though the only weapon Merida could sneak away from her mother was a broad sword she had strapped to her hip.

"You shh!" Finally Merida had hit soft snow, and Hiccup tried pushing the stone block back in place. He had no idea how the triplets were able to move it with such ease. By the time he was done, he turned to find Merida already running to the stables. Though Hiccup would have been perfectly fine with hiking through snow, Merida convinced him riding horses would be faster and better for survival in winter conditions. 

He followed after her, falling and tripping over ever noise that echoed through the shadows of dusk. By the time he made it inside the hay-smelling stables, Merida was saddling up Angus, stroking his black coat as she adjusted everything. Hiccup walked over to Eacharn, though he only held out his hand to his nose as he did with dragons. The steed felt comforted under his touch, but was eager for a bit more attention. He lifted one of his hooves to get closer, but soon it was time for them to get going.

"Here." she said, handing her items to Hiccup.

After a bit of struggling to stay on the horse and keep all the equipment from falling, an orange light blinked through the shadowy woods, marking their position. Eyes and ears alert, they continued through the night as more and more snow piled on their heads. Occasionally, Merida would shake her head free of the flurries, but only before apologizing to Hiccup for getting snow all over him.

All that ran through Hiccup's mind at this point was the ebony dragon, and what might happen to him. He shivered at his fear of his friend's possible death, burned at the anger that he might be injured, and gleamed with hope that they would find him.

Merida was also thinking of the dragon, though she was a bit less optimistic about the situation. She too shook with fear, but it was more from the fear that what they might be searching for is more dangerous than they anticipated, she trembled with worry that Hiccup might be heartbroken should they never find Toothless, but she truly hoped that he was right, despite the lack of evidence and conclusions based on a memory.

They traveled for hours, searching through the falling snow that covered their tracks. Both kept their eyes and ears alert, despite the long night pulling on their weary eyelids. Their heads turned this way and that, jerking back and forth with every sound the forest made. Hiccup held the lantern high so they could see through the darkness, though they both knew it was highly unlikely they would find any trace of what they were looking for on that first night. It wasn't until Merida gave a small, yet noticeable yawn that they began looking for shelter instead of a dragon. After a few miles, they found a small cave, only just big enough for the trio to sleep comfortably through the night.

The flame from the lantern was used to start a small fire just at the edge of the cave, and the trio were covered in blankets and sheets, ready to sleep for the search in the morning light. Hiccup lay with a blanket separating him from the cold ground facing upward to see the stationary clouds and bright moon smiling down at him, trying to reassure his worried heart that only beat faster every time he saw a shadow move across the stars. Unfortunately, it was only an owl or some other nocturnal predator that was out hunting.

Merida was propped on her side, her red curls sprawled all over the dirty floor of the cave, but she was more protected from the cold as she curled up next to Angus, his warm belly moving up and down with a rhythmic pattern. She stared across the floor at the fire, and occasionally beyond that at Hiccup to find his green eyes tracing the stars. She was overall worried, as mentioned before, but as she lay watching the flames melt into ash, a small feeling of admiration came over her for the strong friendship Hiccup shared with his carnivore friend. She admired how Hiccup was willing to risk his life out here in the snowy wilderness based on the slim chance that he could see his best friend again, but she could see the hurt in his eyes of how long they were apart. 

Pulling her blanket up, she buried her face in warmth. In truth, she didn't want Hiccup to find Toothless. If he found his dragon, he would be able to leave, and she didn't want that to happen. He had become too dear a friend to her that she couldn't just let him go. All this time she could have found ways to help him get back home, but she was too selfish for that. But that's why I'm doing this right? She thought to herself, I'm doing this to prove to him I can let him go.

But she needed to prove she can let him go to someone else...