followsthewisps | All Inclusive Intro

The ride to the school fields on the island was a slightly lengthy one, ever since she had relocated to her hut near the northern shore. The jousting classes were a heaven-send. It wasn't that Merida exactly hated life on the island. On the contrary, she loved the freedom and all the new people it brought into her life. For bringing even the chance to possibly love someone. Something that the Scottish princess didn't think she would honestly try. Not this young still, at least.

But something was missing. Merida, for all that freedom, realized that she didn't know what exactly to do with it. The island, for the most part, had been explored by every inch. She wasn't sure law enforcement was the right thing for her, when so few laws were broken. And Merida was never one for rules. And the surprises on the island tended to be more supernatural mysteries than beasties or invasions to fight.

It was making her restless, living her life with all that freedom without something to really do with a purpose.

And it apparently made her surroundings restless as well. When she had looked up, Merida found herself in the middle of a hall room with a reception desk. It wasn't completely unlike the hotel entrance she had stayed in when the island had changed into a massive city, but this was by far grander.

And she was at the very center of it, seated on a pony in padded armor.

"Blast this magic..."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

talking_fishbone

Never mind that he probably shouldn't have gone running toward Merida on horseback, Hiccup was too glad to see her. The few weeks separated from his best friend and girlfriend had been rough and he wanted to make sure she was really there.

"Merida! Merida, hey!" he called, hurrying forward.

From:

followsthewisps

Liberty was bucking in the middle of their confusion and Merida was so focused on calming him that she almost missed the sound of her boyfriend calling her name. She looked up and dismounted.

"Hiccup? What happened? What is this place?"

From:

talking_fishbone

"More weirdness." It was hard not to rush forward and give Merida a hard, tight hug, but he managed to hold himself still at least for the moment.

"It's another world all over again."

From:

followsthewisps

"Again?" she said, incredulously. "How many places like this are there?"

But there was no changing that she was here, so Merida looked Hiccup up and down. She didn't know what was and wasn't different, really. His hair was slightly longer than it was yesterday, and she considered the chance that more time had passed for him here, or even possibly on the Island.

And he was standing in the shy, slightly stiff and uncertain manner he had when he proposed courting her properly the first time.

"Well, aren't you going to hug me? You daft lad."

From:

talking_fishbone

"Sorry, figured you'd want the explanation before the hug." He leaned forward and grabbed her hands to squeeze them before transitioning into a real hug.

"It's been a weird couple of weeks without you."

From:

followsthewisps

Merida smiled softly at the hand-holding before she's pulled tightly into his arms. She hugged him back, but pulled away abruptly when he spoke up.

"Weeks? On your own? I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

From:

talking_fishbone

He couldn't help it. Hiccup laughed a little and hugged her tighter, bending to kiss the top of her head.

"What was I gonna do? Summon you here when I had no way of reaching you?"

From:

followsthewisps

"I suppose that's not in your realm of knowledge. Still sorry I wasn't here with you, though."

She was here now, though. That's what mattered for them. She cupped his cheek and smiled.

"Is Toothless with you?"

From:

talking_fishbone

"Yeah, thank the gods. If I had to be here without you and without him, I'd go crazy." He lingered in the hug, just glad to have them both.

"There's weird doors in this place. He went through one that had a forest in it."

From:

followsthewisps

"A forest in a room?" she asked.

"What other sorts of doors are there? Does one at least lead to a decent bed or a stable for Liberty?"

From:

talking_fishbone

"I know, right?" he laughed, shrugging as he stepped out of the hug to lead the way. Even as he walked, he kept their hands linked.

"There's a permanent stable here."

From:

followsthewisps

"Well, that at least take care of you, then," Merida said to the pony as she took his reigns with the hand that Hiccup wasn't holding.

"What about the rooms, though?"

From:

talking_fishbone

"It's like an inn, well, a hotel really. I have a room here where I stay and sleep. Like the Compound but more private." He took a turn toward an open door that he knew led to the grounds.

"Other doors open to other worlds, but I haven't found one that goes to Berk yet."

From:

followsthewisps

Merida stretched as they walked out into the sunlight, leading Liberty out so he wouldn't fret over being inside a strange building for long. Her hair had been pulled back for the jousting class, but she shook it free not that she wouldn't be going to it.

"There might be one to Berk?" She lit up at the idea. Hiccup had told her often of the cold island he came from, where there were more dragons, though seemingly none quite like Toothless.

"Does that mean that there might be a chance I can meet you clan?" The mention of clans made the princess pause. "Or... Perhaps a chance for you to meet mine?"

From:

talking_fishbone

It hadn't yet occurred to Hiccup, but Merida did make an excellent point. "Yeah, I think we could. You could meet to other dragons...my dad. Astrid..."

It'd been so long since he thought about seeing her again. After a year on the island he'd already resigned himself but now things were different.

"You and her would probably get along and kick my butt."

From:

followsthewisps

"Trying to pawn your girlfriend off on the lass you used to fancy, aye? Perhaps we would gang up on ye," she teased.

"You really think that she'd like me? What about the rest of your clan?"

From:

talking_fishbone

"You're tough, know how to handle yourself and speak your mind," Hiccup said, grinning. "They'd love you. Just...watch out for Snotlout. He thinks he's a ladies man."

From:

followsthewisps

Merida grins and kisses his cheek sweetly. "I'll just have to make it clear that I'm only interested in one viking lad. And if he keeps trying, I'll box his ears off for it."

From:

talking_fishbone

"That's my lass," Hiccup teased. "Anyway, there's information in the lobby. Let's get Liberty settled and then you, huh?"

From:

followsthewisps

"There's a good plan," she agreed as she stepped back to continue leading Liberty.

"This seems a lot more hospitable to the new comers than the Island was, too. The certainly could have done with some sort of official informer at a desk."

From:

talking_fishbone

"Yeah, and you're probably still in time to get some breakfast. It's free."

Hiccup laughed, "Toothless likes the bacon."

From:

followsthewisps

"I am a bit peckish. And who doesn't like bacon?" she laughed.

From:

talking_fishbone

"Untrustworthy individuals, that's who," Hiccup explained, holding her hand.

From:

followsthewisps

She smiles and laces their fingers together, keeping the hold light and loose.

"I'm glad you turned out here. It would have been really lonely without you."

She knows that she'll miss the Stark family, if they were nowhere to be found, but Hiccup was her best friend first. It would kill her to lose the boy now.