Disclaimer: I don't own Hiccup or Merida, obviously. I'm not making any money off this. Both characters and the movies they come from belong to Dreamworks and Disney, respectively. If you really want to see something to blow you away, go watch the movies. Then think about these two interacting. Then you'll see what I mean.

LIMINALITY

All You Ever Dreamed

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. It was all the more devastating for the gentleness of his touch, for the careful way he guided her steps, for his determination to perform the dance as flawlessly as they'd practiced months ago.

We don't do that, Merida. Not to each other.

Of course he wouldn't. Hiccup was kind, generous, clever and patient. He'd never use a friend to lash out against another. He wasn't monstrously selfish like she was.

Her focused fury vanished like a flame snuffed by a gust of wind. Her manic energy collapsed until she was tired, terrified and so very guilty in his arms. But no longer confused, at least. He had a way of ordering her thoughts and making everything so much clearer. That was why she'd refused to answer his questions and why she'd snapped when he probed further.

"I'm sorry." To her horror, tears that she'd banished for the night began to leak into the corners of her eyes. She promised herself she'd never show the Court her weakness. But how could she pretend in front of Hiccup? "You're right. I was being pig-headed. I just…everyone's expecting my answer by the end of the night and I am so frightened. I don't have an answer— not one they'll like! You weren't here and then Andres—he just ignored me. I know you think it's some silly fancy, but he was the first person to really believe that I could…" Her breath caught in her throat, and when she finally forced it through it sounded too much like a sob. "I am so stupid for believing I could change my fate."

"You are not stupid." Hiccup's arm lingered around her waist and did not push her out into the floor where a circle of maidens already danced. They paused, frozen in a colorful tableau of dancers in the middle of the Great Hall of DunBroch. "Foolhardy, often, but never stupid."

She lifted her face to meet his. The music faded into silence, the revelers clapped and exchanged compliments, but they did nothing—simply breathed each other in.

"Well done, Hiccup," said Kincaid. "You dance like you've been doing it since you were born. Princess, don't you—are you all right?"

Before Merida could even think of how to respond, to put her armor back in place, Hiccup took her hand and lead her away. She glimpsed Kincaid's startled look before he was lost in the crowds. Hiccup didn't stop until they reached a shadowed alcove.

"Thank you. I—"

"I know." Because he always understood her. He always saw through her. He always saw her. He pretended to observe the party while she tried to breathe through the tight knot in her chest. In a much lighter tone, he remarked, "You didn't think I'd miss your birthday, did you?"

"I didn't hear from you for weeks," she laughed shakily. "I was half planning a daring rescue mission."

Hiccup snorted, but there was something dark, something nervous in the sound that made her look up. Now that they were alone and without the distraction of a dance, she noticed how different he looked. He wore a dark, fitted leather gambeson she'd never seen before; the silver buckles shaped like dragons' heads gleamed in the light. Etched across his left breast, where his heart would be, was the dragon with one-tail fin. The red symbol made a startling contrast against the darkness of the gambeson. But the changes went deeper than that. There was utter weariness in his stance; his eyes were haunted and a bruise shadowed his chin. He looked taller, stranger—even dangerous.

"What happened?" she whispered, fingers touching the bruise gently.

"Fell off a cliff," he muttered.

"And landed on your face?" she said, a familiar exasperation in her tone.

"In the water." His hand caught hers and lowered it gently between them.

"Hiccup—"

"Merida, don't," he said and his eyes met hers. Stern but also sad. So unbearably sad.

Guilt flooded through her. "I'm sorry. You've done nothing wrong and here I am doubting you."

"I've done plenty of wrong and you know it. We've usually done it together."

"That's mischief and you know it. You stood by me when my suitors thought I was mad; you helped me find solutions that benefitted the kingdom without sacrificing who I am; you befriended a lonely, stubborn, selfish wreck of a girl. I don't even know why you put up with—"

One long finger rested feather-light on her lips.

She looked up, startled into his gentle green eyes. Her favorite color.

"That should be obvious." He tucked a stray curl back against her ear. At her furrowed brow, he said, "You make me happy."

Author's Note:

Originally posted on tumblr under the username moonshotsandarchimedeslevers for mericcup month. This functions as a sequel of sorts to MAYBE I COULD BE. Fun tidbit: MAYBE I COULD BE and ALL YOU EVER DREAMED forms one of my favorite lines from the song Anywhere but Here (Orchestral Version) by SafetySuit, which inspired these two chapters. That song hits me with so much mericcup feels, y'all. Do you guys have favorite mericcup songs?

MAYBE I COULD BE takes place during a winter feast in Eilean Donan. ALL YOU EVER DREAMED occurs during Merida's birthday feast in the summer (roughly six months after MAYBE I COULD BE and a full year after CtH-Uneasy Alliances). ALL YOU EVER DREAMED is part of the midseason finale (as it were) for Crossing the Horizon.

If you wanna hear previews, headcanons or general ramblings, drop by and say hi on tumblr! Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed the story!