Disclaimer: ROTG and HTTYD belongs to Dreamworks; Tangled and Brave belongs to Disney/Pixar

Her Unseen Friend

Merida giggled as she ran through the forest, searching for an arrow that she shot and missed. That little thought made her a little sad but the knowledge that her father would help her improve only made her giggle with glee. So with another slap at leaves and jumping in place, the girl continued on her way in search of her arrow.

Pushing back branches and leaves, her eyes then darted left and right with uncontained curiosity…only to see a man standing in a clearing near a tall tree, holding her arrow. She gasped and when the man turned to face her, she saw bright eyes as green as the forest she loved. Giggling in place, she darted towards him and stared up at the older with a wide grin. "Hello! Can I have my arrow back?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side.

The man only stared with wide eyes before smiling gently. He knelled down in front of her and she saw that he had freckles splatter across his cheeks, just like hers. His hair was brown, a similar color to her mother and a part of her thought that his smile was much like her mother. And Merida could only grin back, a small tint of pink in her cheeks from the amount of running she did so far.

"This is yours?" His voice was somewhat nasally but it held a kind tone: kind…and very gentle.

"Yes, it is."

The man smiled at her gently. "Then here you go." He took a hold of one of her hands. She opened her palm and the man placed the arrow gently into her chubby fingers. She stared at his thin and slender fingers that were so unlike the men from her home. In fact…the man seemed more slender than most men she knew and his form was much like a woman's, though he did not have any curves that a woman would have. However, he was rather beautiful.

She would've thought he was a woman if not for his voice.

"Make sure you don't lose it, again." His eyes seemed to twinkle with amusement. Then he stood and walked back to the tree before sitting back down. Merida noticed a small book next to him and watched as he picked it up. She also noticed the strange leg of his and she couldn't help but wonder if he was like her father. And being the curious little girl she was, she walked up to him and plopped down in front of him with those same bright and curious blue eyes trained onto him.

"What is that?"

The man gave her an amused look. She may be only seven but she knew what those eyes meant. She liked it. It gave the man a very young look.

"It's a book."

Merida rolled her eyes before giggling. Her attention was drawn to the book in his hands now. "I know that! What are ya reading!?"

The man chuckled softly before reaching over and placing his hand on her head. She peeked up at him from under her messy bangs and yelped in protest when he suddenly ruffled her messy hair.

"Stop!"

When the man did stop, Merida's hair resembled a bird's nest. She pouted and gave a child's glare at the man. The man only smiled down at her before he patted her head. "It's my journal. Now run along. Your mother and father must be worried about you." Then he took back his hand and Merida looked up, feeling slightly upset that his hand was no longer on her head.

"What about you? Where're your mum and dad?"

Merida paused when she saw his eyes go dark. But she didn't understand the look in his eyes and instead of feeling scared, her chest felt heavy with sadness. But she couldn't understand why until the man said softly, "I am waiting for a friend." Then he said with a sad smile, "and I have not seen my family in a very long time."

Merida gasped. "But don't you miss them?"

"…Very much." Then the man held onto her form and turned her around. The girl blinked in surprise. "Now that is enough. You should go before your mother and father get too worried. If you find me next time, then we'll talk more." He added when he saw Merida turn her head to him, her mouth open before they closed.

The young princess stared at the man for a second before grinning brightly. "Okay!" She had chirped before running off. But then just before she made to walk through the bushes, she turned back and yelled, "I'm Merida! Remember, okay!"

His sad smile turned into an amused grin before he waved back to her. "Okay." He said and then she turned and left cheerfully.

She bounded through the forest with a light cheery step and she giggled, her chubby fingers tightening around the arrow her new strange friend had returned her. It was only when she returned to her parents and relayed the tale to her mother did she realize she had not obtained a name from her strange new friend.

~.~.~

Now ten years old and starting in her lessons for becoming a 'proper lady', as quote her mother, Merida was a bit more bitter than when she was younger. But she was still a child, still had so much life and light and innocence that everybody in the castle knew her personality would not change even as she grew older.

She could be often seen with her father as he relayed stories of his battle with Mordu to her or with her mother, either with a bored look or happy, depending on what she was doing with her mother. But often enough, she would watch her new baby brothers with a curious look.

Merida often spent a few hours just staring at them. At first, her face was full of curiosity. Then as time went by, her face scrunched to reveal an annoyed look, especially when her brothers wailed and wept. She would even clutch at her mess of hair and tug in annoyance. But what most didn't see, was that she would lean forward and hold out a finger, watching with a small smile when one of her brothers would clutch at her leaner fingers with grabby hands. Then the girl would giggle before continually whispering the same words.

"Be good little boys and grow to be big and strong." The girl whispered giddily before she leaned forward and kissed all three on the forehead. She giggled when she heard their own giggles before leaning back and leaving the room with a smile on her face.

The rest of her hours, besides taking lessons from her mother, were spent exploring the forest outside her castle. Often enough, a guard would follow her. But she was smart enough to lose him plenty times. Then she would go and find the man she met several years before.

A man with forest green eyes and freckles much like her own.

She could never seem to find him. But the girl was determined. She wanted to know more about this stranger who was so different from her family, her people, even the men from the other clans. And that's what made her so interested. So that she could know more of him. And more importantly, so that he could be her friend.

But as mentioned, she was never really able to find him.

So when she saw the same man standing in the middle of a river with a fish stuck in his sword, she could only squeal and yell, "HI!" And she only giggled when the man yelped and fell headfirst into the river with a loud splash. With a loud laugh, she jumped into the river and pranced towards the man who stuck his head out, rubbing the water out of his eyes.

"Wah…Merida?"

Merida could feel her own face lit up before she unsuccessfully tried to pull him up to his feet. "You remembered my name!"

"Of course," The man said, standing up. He smiled at the young girl. He raised a brow at her as she splashed around while giggling every so often before he reached down and grabbed her from the waist. "Come on now; let's get out of the water." He said before reaching for his sword which, Merida noticed, still had a fish dangling from it.

She blinked at the sword, or perhaps it would be better described as a dagger.

The man wadded back to the bank before letting the girl down on dry stone. The girl shook her head and the man yelped, taking a step back as Merida laughed. "Sorry!" She giggled. "Say, I forgot to ask for yer name!"

A small laugh left the man's lips before he walked out of the stream. He looked content, even with his clothes wet. "My name's Hiccup."

Merida made a small face. "Hiccup?" Her tone was questioning.

The man, Hiccup, Merida corrected, laughed. "I know. My people thought that hideous names would frighten off gnomes and trolls."

She had only heard of such creatures in stories and she believed in magic. But Merida never stopped to think that hideous names would scare them. And now, she wondered why Hiccup of all names would frighten those creatures. If anything, it would probably make them fall to the floor and roll around, laughing. Unless it was possible to die by laughing too much, she doubted that Hiccup's name did any good for what it was supposed to do.

"Hiccup." Merida let the name roll from her lips and she giggled. "What a funny name."

"Thank you for feeling the need to say that," Was the man's sarcastic tone. Not that Merida knew that. She didn't know what sarcasm was, being the princess and everybody being very polite and kind to the princess.

So her answer was, "You're welcome!"

Hiccup gave her an amused look.

Merida gave a cheeky grin before looking at the man's legs. "Say, what happened?"

The man seemed to freeze before he gave a low sigh. Merida didn't understand what was wrong. Her father loved to boast about how he lost his leg. Wouldn't Hiccup be the same…unless…did he not lose his leg in a battle? Merida bit her lips and looked up at him with apologetic eyes.

"S-Sorry…I didn't…"

"No, it fine." His voice cut her off. It was soft. And Merida didn't like how sad the voice sounded. "…I…lost it in a battle…a long time ago."

~.~.~

A small groan left the young teen's lips. Her body gave way and fell to her bed, her arms resting just on her face as Merida sighed. She knew that what she was doing…was important. Not that she really cared. No, instead, all she wanted was the freedom to do whatever she wanted. But she could hear the voice of her mother ranting to her, Merida, a princess does not groan or complain!

Even in her head, her mother was extremely annoying.

"Well, don't you sound bored."

The princess immediately sat up and her eyes wandered through the room before settling on an older man, holding a book in his hands with an amused smile. He was shuffling through the pages before sitting down on her bedroom chest and then looked at her with a raised brow. Merida could only gape, shocked and slightly embarrassed that a boy was in her room. Then realization struck her and her face flushed slightly. She immediately grabbed a pillow behind her and threw it at the other. "GET OUT!"

"OW!" Ah, a satisfying sound to her ears. "What was that for!?"

"Get out of mah room, ya pervert!"

"Ah! OW! Geez! Sorry!" The man quickly left and Merida was left alone, her cheeks red as eyes wide with slight embarrassment. A minute passes as she processed what had just happened before she groaned and fell back onto her bed again, her cheeks still red as she thought of Hiccup.

"Idiot…" The teen muttered as she gripped her pillow.

"Sorry for being an idiot!" Was the voice that called out from the halls and made Merida groan as the other laughed.

~.~.~

"Say, Hiccup?"

"Hm?" The other had a small smile as he flipped through some books as he leaned against the wall, his eyes narrowed as he read word after word. His right hand supported the book while his left was lifted to his lips, the tip of his thumbnail being chewed. Merida tilted her head as she watched him curiously. Besides her, her brothers were giggling, hitting each other every now and then. One looked up at the silly name and giggled before going back to whispering with his clones as Merida often called them.

But that didn't distract her from her thoughts.

She often wondered about this person who appeared so suddenly all those years ago…a man who was so unlike those around her. He was intelligent and patient, something most men in the castle weren't. He was kind and caring, especially to her brothers who he seemed to adore. He seemed to believe in the existence of magical creatures, his favorite being dragons. He would often tell wild stories to her brothers who listened intently with adoring eyes. He even had stories of faraway lands that seemed too different and strange that Merida often wondered if they were even real. But by how Hiccup described them, she doubted that he would lie. And the one thing that she really noticed was that the man…well…never aged.

He looked exactly the same as he did when she first met him when she was not even ten. And now, she was fifteen. During that time, she figured there would be some sort of change but there wasn't.

"How old are you?"

Hiccup looked at her, a look of surprise blossoming on his face. "Why?" He asked, confusion lacing his words. Not that she blamed him. It was a rather…interesting question.

"Just…wondering."

The man looked at her for a few seconds before smiling. "Eighteen."

Merida started and shot up from her bed, her eyes wide as she watched Hiccup return his attention to the book. Her mouth was open to a gape. "You-! Wha..!?" But the man only looked back up to give a small smile but there was a small sadness in there that made Merida's stuttering stop. She stared as Hiccup turned away and stared out the window, his eyes unfocused as though he were thinking of something. "Hiccup?"

"Hm?"

Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from and why are you just so different? These were all questions the girl wanted to ask. She wanted to know the answers so badly and it bothered her that this man was so mysterious, so strange, and just so…annoying whenever he only gave small and sometimes vague answers that made her want to scream in frustration. And whenever he turned that secretive smile to her, she had to fight the urge to tell him to stop. And what she hated most was when her heart gave a small flutter.

"…Nothing." The princess only muttered as she watched Hiccup. The other never moved, only continually staring at the skies with a look of longing.

~.~.~

"Merida, are you alright?" The girl gave a start and stared at the other with wide eyes.

Nearly a year had passed since she had seen those green eyes. And when her mother declared that she would be wed to one of the first-born sons of the clan leaders, she could only retaliate in anger. But deep inside, she couldn't help but feel saddened and guilty. And when the man suddenly appeared before her, his forest green eyes holding nothing but worry for the red haired lass before him, she finally understood why she felt a flutter in her heart; why she felt guilty when her mother mentioned she would be wed soon; why she hated the idea of marrying to someone else so much.

She fell for this strange man, a man that nobody but herself and her brothers could see.

"H-Hiccup…" The princess only looked down, not wanting this man to even look at her. She felt so awful, so annoyed, and just so extremely afraid that she didn't even want him to see her like this. She didn't want the other to see her so weak-willed, so confused, and so lost. It just wasn't her.

A gentle hand patted her head and the sixteen year old looked up to see a soft smile on the other. "Do you want to talk about it?"

No. No she did not. All she wanted was to be left alone, for people to just let her be. She didn't want anybody having their eyes on her, saying words that only reminded her of her responsibility, her cage that kept her from allowing her to travel the world, to find new things, and just be free…like Hiccup.

A surge of jealousy raged through her being and she clenched her fist. Hiccup didn't deserve her jealousy; he was always kind and has always been a good friend. But still, it's very easy to be jealous. After all, he's invisible to the rest, seen only by herself and her brothers. He is a free spirit, allowed to do what he wanted to do, to go to places that Merida could only dream of ever going. While she was to stay in her kingdom, rotting away as the Queen to one of the sons of the Lords, Hiccup was free. And one day, he'll leave. Why would he stay anyway?

"Merida?"

She couldn't help it. She looked up and gave the other a nasty glare.

Hiccup didn't seem to mind.

Instead, he sat down beside her after giving a small pat on Angus's head, the horse giving a small whine of contentment. For a few seconds, he said nothing, ignoring the bewildered look that Merida gave him before he gave a sigh and looked up. "Having expectations is so tiring, isn't it?"

Merida didn't say anything, but her interest was sparked. How could Hiccup have any expectations? Who would expect anything from him? He was different from her and there was no way he could ever understand her. He was a stranger, probably some sort of peasant from a different land. She's a princess and has duties, responsibilities that would make her want to just throw up and curl into a little ball before crying like a baby.

"You try hard to reach those expectations…and when all you do is disappoint them, you just feel like running away."

The redhead paused before slowly looking at Hiccup, her eyes questioning as Hiccup gave her a sad smile.

"It can be hard…but it'll turn out fine."

And then her anger returned before she stood up, glaring sharply at the other. "Don't speak like as if you understand! How could you!? You're different from me! There's no way you could ever understand! Don't even try it!" She yelled before stomping away, not bothering to look back. And if she did, she would've seen the hurt look on the other's face. And the next day, realizing that she may have hurt her friend, she went down to look for him, only to find that he was nowhere to be found.

~.~.~

Merida huffed as she watched the clans walk into the room, stomping here and there with so much pride in their steps. She sunk into her chair when her father went up to address them rather poorly, forcing her mother to step in and take over. The princess scowled as each of the clan leaders took a step forward and presented their sons. But as she felt the urge to just run off and throw up, she caught sight of a man with the darkest hair she had ever seen.

Her eyes widened as that man looked at her and she froze at seeing those acid green eyes.

But then the man gave a cheeky grin before pointing to her mother. And when she looked at her, she finally realized what the woman was saying and her eyes widened at what was being said. A small hopeful smile came to her lips and as soon as her mother declared who would decide the challenge, she leaped to her feet and cried out in a happy voice, "Archery! Archery!"

Silence.

Everybody turned to her and she realized her outburst was a mistake, something a princess should not do, if the look in her mother's eyes was anything to go by. So the princess straightened her posture, clasped her hands together and gave a small smile. "I…choose archery." She says, casting a small look towards her mother who had smiled back and addressed the masses.

Merida gave a small sigh and looked back to see the other man. However, he was gone.

The next time she sees him, he was leisurely sitting on the King's chair in front of the games, a small coy smile on his lips. Merida's eyes widened while besides her, her brothers gaped before one giggled. But then she gasped when the boy looked at her and grinned before jumping off the chair just as her father came up to it. But instead of yelling at the boy, her father simply sat down, laughing while her mother sat beside him.

The dark haired man only grinned from where he stood and strolled away.

Merida stared. Her brothers watched the man walk away with giggles before their mother called them. And Merida was subjected to watch the lords' sons do archery. And it was rather poorly.

The princess could only roll her eyes or giggle with her father as they whispered silly insults under their breaths while her mother stared at them with disapproval. But then when Merida watched as Wee Dingwall prepared to shoot his arrow (and failing rather terribly) she suddenly gave a small gasp at the sight of the same dark haired boy from earlier right behind Wee Dingwall, stifling giggles.

She could hear the giggles of the crowd and her father's groans of impatient. But it all went away when the other man suddenly looked at her and winked just like before. Then just as she heard her father yell at Wee Dingwall, the man threw his arms forward from right behind Wee Dingwall.

Everybody gasped when the arrow Wee Dingwall accidently accurately shot the target.

While everybody started cheering, Merida was snapped out of her shock when the man winked at her again and made a shooting pose before pointing at her. Then he strolled away. Instantly, her eyes widened as she remembered her plan and she quickly ran off, grabbing her bow and arrows along the way.

She had a tournament to win.

~.~.~

Merida bit her lip in frustration before falling down slowly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She fell to the mattress and whimpered softly. She curled into herself, the scene of her mother running away from the clans and her own father still clear in her mind and then her sobs intensified. Then suddenly, she gasped and slowly looked up, her eyes resting on the torn tapestry. She rushed over, pulling at it.

She gasped as she fell over, the tapestry fall on top of her, cold and she shivered before pulling it off of her and whispered, "Maudie." She ran up to the door, putting her head right through the small window and screamed, "MAUDIE! Maudie, I need you! NOW!"

Her eyes were burning with bits of tears and she struggled to just squeeze just a part of her face through as she continued to yell for her brothers' nursemaid. She huffed, her eyes closed before she opened her eyes again, only to blink, gasp, and then groan.

"Oh no..." She muttered as she watched three little cubs walk into the light, their big brown eyes staring at her with curiosity. She felt the urge to smack her head, as well as curse herself for not removing that blasted pastry from the kitchen. What if somebody else became a bear!?

A small gasp made her look up, only to see Maudie staring back and forth between her and her three little brothers. "Maudie!" She cried. The poor woman looked so terrified when she saw the three cubs, clutching the key to her heart. The three turned bears had turned to look at Maudie for a second before returning their attention to their sister. Merida couldn't help but smirk as an idea ran through her mind. She looked at her brothers, tilted her head to Maudie, and said, "Get the key."

Merida grinned a bit when she saw Maudie gasp as her three brothers nodded, their own evil smirk on their faces as they turned to face their now heavily breathing nursemaid. The woman looked at them, her face now suddenly set to determination as she stuffed the key into her dress.

The three made faces, growled, and stuck their tongues out for good measure.

Maudie screamed and ran down the stairs. Merida gave a small chuckle before she pulled herself away from the door. She then turned back to the room and started to chant, "Needle and thread. Needle and thread. Needle and thread."

She rummaged through the room, mentally apologizing to her mother for the mess she made. But she figured the woman wouldn't mind considering this was so she could save the human-turned-bear.

The redhead cheered when she popped her head out of the chest, bring out a needle with her fingers and cried, "Aw, ya beauty!" She then pulled out the thread and dragged the tapestry to the floor. She quickly knelt down and went to sew the tapestry back together. She bit her lips in concentration, going only to halfway when a high-pitched whine made her look up to see one of her brothers sticking his paw through the door's window, the brass key in his hand. Her lips curled into a grin as she launched forward, grabbing the key.

The next thing she knew, she was already out of the castle, on Angus with all three of her brothers hanging on to either her or the tapestry for dear life.

She laughed giddily when she pulled the needle, closing the rip. "Haha!" She cheered as she held up the tapestry. Then she gasped as she was pulled forward from momentum and looked forward, her eyes wide. She could hear the small soft grunts from her brothers as she stared at the will-o-the-wisp before her.

It gave a soft whisper, its voice high-pitched and wispy, waving them to come closer before it disappeared, another taking its place farther down the road.

Hurry.

A voice she was so familiar with urged and immediately she urged Angus to follow. "Hurry!" She cried as her brothers looked around with their wide eyes. Her thoughts immediately left and focused only on saving her mother. She disregarded the familiar voice of the man she had fallen for.

Hurry.

The voice continued to urge her, panic laced between each breathy whisper. He knew what was going on.

Hurry.

And when she arrived to save her mother, she jumped off of Angus, her eyes narrowed in determination as she held up her bow after shooting an arrow to stop her father from making the final blow. "Step back! That's my mother!"

Hurry.

~.~.~

Merida held close to her mother, her lips set to a smile as her mother ran her thin but firm hands through her messy hair. There was a soft look in the woman's eyes as she sung a soft tune to her daughter before moments later, the small young princess followed.

"A naoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth
Mise ri d' thaobh, O mhaighdean bhàn
Ar rìbhinn òg, fàs a's faic
Do thìr, dìleas féin
A ghrian a's a ghealach, stiùir sinn
Gu uair ar cliù 's ar glòir
Naoidhean bhig, ar rìbhinn òg
Maighdean uasal bhàn

Merida opened her eyes as she slowly rose from her bed, a small nostalgic smile on her face. She stretched and then jumped out of bed, smacking her lips as she walked over to her window. Her grin widened as she remembered what would happen today. The clans were leaving.

It was sad to see them go. She had become somewhat good friends with the sons and while she still had no desire for marriage, she hoped that they would all form a strong bond between then, forged by bravery and trust, just as their fathers did. She would miss them...

Her mind wandered to what had happened just the day before.

Her mother and brothers reverted back. They changed. And it wasn't just physically. Both she and her mother had changed; their hearts now one in a way that hadn't been so from since she was very young. Perhaps that was the cause for her dream that night. She hugged herself, now aching for the warmth of her mother and she turned, determined to find and give her mother a firm hug.

But as she did, she yelped and backed away, her hand clenching her chest.

At the door was Hiccup. He was holding what looked to be a golden crown. Merida took another look and gaped when she realized it was her mother's crown. The princess looked at the other before her. He wasn't looking at her, instead inspecting the crown in his hands.

The princess gulped. She felt so guilty. She had yelled at him days prior…she had to apologize. "Good for you." She blinked and looked up at him, confused. Her cheeks flushed just a bit at the kind smile he held. "You truly did well, Merida." He said, walking towards her and then grabbed her hands. She froze and just stood still as he placed the crown in her hands.

"I really had fun. Thank you for being my friend. It felt as though I had gone back home for a short while…"

Merida stared up at the other, confused. "...I-"

"I have to go. And the next time we meet...I was told may not be under the best circumstances. But until then, please stay well." He looked at her and she felt her heart lift up.

He had forgiven her.

Then he reached over and patted her head before giving another sweet smile and then turned to leave. He walked past the doorway, and just as he disappeared from sight, the dark haired man from the games from a few days ago walked past the door, winking at her with a grin as he followed Hiccup. Merida gaped and ran over, staring into the hallway.

But the two had already disappeared.

Merida wasn't sure if she was feeling excited for that day to come or to feel sad and disappointed. Her mind was still pondering over what Hiccup had said and she lowered her head, unsure of what to make of it.

"Merida?" She blinked and looked up to see her mother staring at her, her eyes worried.

The woman looks so different from before everything that had just happened. Her eyes were warm and her face was more relaxed than ever. Her posture was still the same. If anything, her entire body had loosened a bit. The woman's hair was no longer made into a braid, instead left hanging down much like hers.

Merida only looked up at her and shook her head smiling. She had more time later to figure this out. For now, she wanted to spend time with her family…catch up on all those years of not understanding each other. So instead of dwelling on the man who had just left, she instead put on a happy smile and linked arms with her mother.

"Come on, mum! Let's go greet everybody good morning!"

~.~.~

"Hiccup, you sure you want to just leave?" The spirit turned to look at his best friend and nodded. Toothless shrugged before the two looked back up to the sky as Toothless pulled Hiccup to an embrace. "…Sorry for taking so long…Manny was extremely persistent on this. But I finally managed to meet every dragon in this world. Now I am finally what he wanted me to be I guess."

The smaller spirit laughed before patting the other's head, hand then weaving itself into midnight black hair. "Yes, yes, congratulations, bud."

Toothless grinned back, his teeth sharper than humanly possible and something very familiar to the ex-Viking. Then his grin dropped as he rubbed his cheeks against the other. Hiccup rolled his eyes. His best friend was still affectionate, even in his humanoid form.

"…She's a lot like Astrid."

Hiccup blinked and looked at the anthro spirit. "What?"

At that, Toothless scoffed before shaking his head. "Nah, it's nothing."

"Just tell me!"

"Nah."

"Toothless!"

Kura: …Yeah…I have no idea :P

Berry: …

Kura: in any case, this is not going to be a story. I wanted to write a series of oneshots. I have all these ideas in my head and they're very…short. This one, I didn't expect it to be so long…but meh. I'm pretty happy.

Berry: However, our ideas won't always be so long.

Kura: T^T In any case, this centers around the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons universe! However, it has the Rise of the Guardians concept with the spirits and all that…so that's why I put this under Rise of the Guardians as well :3 in any case, I've been wanting to write stuff about them for a while! So…yay~

Berry: This is basically like our One piece x Harry potter oneshot series but these will be more random than the other and doesn't have an actual plot. Well, we have a plot but we don't know if anybody will need to hear it :3

Kura: Yay! Please do review~