Elements of Change-Epilogue

Genre: Crossover

Brave
How to Train Your Dragon
_{DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BRAVE, HTTYD NOR THE CHARACTERS FROM SAID MOVIES. THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.}
CLAIMER: ANY OCS BELONG TO ME.

Note: I haven't done much research on Norse or Celtic history/mythology. No flaming for inaccuracy please.

One Year Later

DunBroch seemed as though it would never reach the full glory of its former days, but under the guidance of Queen Merida and the remaining Lords, the kingdom built itself back up. They tilled the earth and built homes in DunBroch, but no one set foot in the land of MacGuffin again. It came to be known as the Valley of Ashes, and in remembrance of all who died, the people mourned and cried on the anniversary of that terrible night.

The teenage triplets returned their homeland only a few months after their sister began to rebuild the kingdom, and they were welcomed with joyous cries and celebration. Like their sister, the three brothers didn’t take well to the news of their parents’ deaths, but knowing Merida was the one who killed the man responsible rested their heavy hearts ever so slightly.

One day a small group of ships entered DunBroch’s bay. At first the people of Scotland were frightful, but many calmed down once they recognized the dragon symbol on their sails.

The visitors were given permission to port, and soon the news was sent to the royal family.

As men unloaded supplies from the boats to the docks, one certain figure made its way to the castle. As he walked through the streets, he nodded to familiar faces and strangers also. His unusual and metal prosthetic scraped across the stone road while a large, black dragon followed behind him.

When they made it to the gate, the two foreigners were given entry and they finally made it to the throne room.

Inside there were the Lords, military personnel, economists, other people of higher status, and guards lining the room. As the boy and his dragon entered the room, there were a few whispers and gasps at the scaly beast.

But the two paid no attention to the crowd and instead focused on their audience at the end of the room. The Queen sat in her throne with the DunBroch banner hanging proudly behind her. She wore a beautiful, royal blue dress with silver trim and her golden crown shone brightly among her red curls. Her brothers sat in their own individual thrones to her right, and to her left were two empty chairs.

The Queen of DunBroch stood as the visitor bowed deeply to her, and the room went silent as she began to speak.

“Chief Hiccup, what brings you to our lands?”

The man lifted his head and smiled warmly at her. “I came to ask Your Majesty’s hand in marriage.”

There were a few murmurs floating in the room, but the Queen raised her hand and the whispered stopped.

“You are not th’ first ta ask. What do you have that others do not?”

“We already have a good alliance, Your Highness, but a bond in marriage would bring our different peoples closer together. My village is not the only one filled with vikings in the Archipelago, and by uniting our people together we could be the ultimate example. Also, my people would be better prepared to aid yours in the case of war should any of the other viking clans come to attack again.”

Queen Merida nodded. “Are there any other reasons I should consider you?”

Hiccup sighed. “Well, to be frank, I am in love with you and have been since the day you dragged me out of the ocean. And even if you deny me,” Reaching into a small pouch, he pulled out a silver necklace. “I hope you accept this as a reminder of our friendship when we were young.”

It had a beautiful Celtic design of three bears with weaving lines. Hiccup approached her and with permission, clasped it around her neck. She stood for a moment, looking at the design and remembering everything connected to it. Then she looked back to Hiccup, and quickly grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him in to kiss him.

There were a few gasps from the crowd, but there were also a few chuckles and smiles, knowing this was something Merida would do in a formal court.

Their passionate kiss lasted a good long while, and when they finally took a moment to breathe, the queen hugged the chief close and whispered in his ear,

“Of course ah’ll marry you.”

A few weeks later…

The wedding was a spectacular sight, and one of the most joyous celebrations since before Drago came to Scotland. Vikings and Scotts of all shapes and sizes filed all over the DunBroch while last minute preparations were made.

Merida sat in her room, watching everyone buzz around while some of the maids begged her to get out of sight. Sitting by the open window, she fingered her mother’s crown. Her elegant wedding dress was draped carefully over her bed, but the poor maidservants were pleading her to get away from the window and get ready. It wasn’t until a familiar face walked in the room that Merida finally got up.

“Astrid!” she cried, running across the room. Embracing her friend in nothing but her under dress, the girls made the maids shriek and close the door.

“It’s good to see you, Merida.” Astrid said, accepting her hug.

“Ah was beginning ta think ye weren’t goin’ ta make it.”

“Yeah, Thuggory’s dad kept procrastinating our departure. For a while it seemed like we would never leave.”

They laughed a bit, but then one of the maids finally took control and forced the queen to put on her corset. Merida held tight to one of the beams on her bed as the maid pulled the corset tighter. While the queen was busy being tortured, Astrid sat on the bed and talked to her friend.

“I have the most exciting news.” Astrid said. “Thuggory and I are having a baby!”

Merida smiled. “That’s wonderful!” she was about to run and hug Astrid again, but the maid refused to let her move. “Though, excuse me fer not baskin’ in excitement. It seems as though someone is tryin’ ta break mah ribcage.” She let out a wince as the woman pulled on the string.

“I still have no idea why anyone would wear one of those.” The viking leaned back, laughing.

When Merida was finally allowed to move free, she hugged Astrid again and during the whole process of getting ready, the viking shared news from Meathead Island.

Finally, the bride was dressed and ready. The main body of her dress was white, though much of the trim and embroidery was blue and gold. A veil was attached to her mother’s crown, which sat comfortably on her head. Lastly, the silver necklace rested on her chest, gleaming beautifully in the sunlight.

After giving a last look in the mirror, Merida walked over to a tapestry that hung in the corner. It was the very tapestry she cut with a sword when she was sixteen and thought was the answer to breaking her mother’s bear curse. The stitches used to fix it were obvious and rather unfitting, but they were a great reminder to the queen of her past mistakes.

Reaching out, she gently touched the faces of her parents in the tapestry, silently wishing they were there to see her.

Meanwhile, the groom was standing in his room, waiting to be told when everything was ready. He wore clothes similar to his usual flight suit, but he also had a metal chainmail in a dragon scale pattern overtop, and he had a traditional fur cape from Berk resting on his shoulders. He wore a small tunic with the Berk symbol over the chainmail, and on his hips he had a ceremonial sword that had been passed through his family for generations.

After he finished getting dressed, he turned to Toothless and raised his hands.

“How do I look?”

The dragon tilted his head, and then gave a gummy grin. “Like you need a haircut.”

The viking glared at him then ran his fingers through his hair. But no matter how hard he tried, his brown locks stayed as messy as ever.

“Oh, and I heard from Meatlug.” Hiccup said. “Don’t even think of covering me in your slobber after the ceremony.”

Toothless groaned. “Blabber mouth.”

Suddenly the door opened and in walked Stoick. His face had plenty of scars from the Battle of Berk, but even after a year many of them had faded.

“Son,” said Stoick, closing the door behind him, “you alright?”

“Yeah.” Hiccup said.

The old chief looked his son up and down. Reaching out he brushed the fur cloak with his hand.

“I wore this when I married you mother.” Big, waterfall tears nearly formed in his eyes, but he blinked them away.

“I’m a lot smaller than you were then.”

Stoick chuckled heartily, then opening the door again, led his son outside. It was time for the ceremony.

The throne room was filled with Scotts, Vikings and dragons of every kind. Hiccup was led to the end of the room where the thrones usually sat, but instead a priest stood waiting for him. Hiccup fidgeted in his heavy clothing as he waited, his father and Toothless standing next to him.

Finally the doors opened, the bagpipes began playing, and down the aisle walked the bride. As soon as he saw her, Hiccup’s mouth went agape. Merida rarely ever wore any sort of fancy clothing, and the afternoon light shining behind her made her look beautiful beyond belief.

Since her father had long passed, Merida ventured the walk on her own. At first she had a look of nervousness, worried that she might trip or fall on her way. But as she kept walking, she remembered her mother’s words and all of the ‘useless’ princess lessons. Taking a deep breath, she made it the rest of the way smiling.

When she made it there, the music stopped and the priest began speaking. As he spoke, Hiccup drew his ceremonial sword and held it blade-down to Merida. When she took hold of the handle with him, the priest tied a red ribbon around their hands, securing them to the sword and each other. After he finished speaking and the couple made their vows, the priest stepped aside as Stoick took his place.

As a past chief, Stoick had the authority to seal the two in marriage in the traditions of Berk. And once he finished, then the celebrations began.

It was a spectacular sight. Everyone was singing, dancing and being merry together despite cultural differences. Food and drink was passed around, and soon Stoick and Gobber made it to the floor to sing a drunken duet.

Merida and Hiccup sat at the end of the Great Hall, laughing at everyone and everything. As a joke, the queen tied the ribbon from the priest in her husband’s hair, and it flowed gracefully whenever he got up to walk anywhere.

At one point while they were at their table, Merida stood and turned to Hiccup.

“Get up, we’re dancin’.”

Wide eyed, he shook his head. “Uh, one-legged viking here. Remember?”

“Aye, of course, but that doesn’t mean ye can’t dance. C’mon!” Grabbing his arm she dragged him to the middle of the floor.

Since he didn’t know the dance too well, Hiccup tripped many times over himself, and tried to convince Merida to let him sit down. But eventually, he got the hang of it and the two of them had their first dance as a married couple.

As Merida looked around the room, she saw so many faces. Not a single one was without a smile, and closing her eyes she knew there couldn’t be a more perfect moment.

“Merida, is anything wrong?” Hiccup said, and she opened her eyes. She had stopped dancing abruptly and closed her eyes in the middle of the dance floor, so Hiccup naturally assumed something was up.

Smiling, she hugged him close and buried her face in his neck.

“No.” she said. “There is absolutely nothing wrong.”