Dunbroch in winter was a miserable time of year. Snow covered every inch of the kingdom, making it impossible for Merida to do anything. Merida and her mother sat coddled up in the sewing room, their fireplace providing warmth . Ever since her parents allowed her to hold off her marriage, she had been able to work out a suitable schedule with her mother. Sewing had become a favorite 'princessing' past time, as Merida called it. She would still rather be shooting arrows, or practicing fencing with her father, but she has begun to enjoy the time spent with her mother.

"Mum look," Merida smiles holding up her finished blanket. In the center of the blanket is a bow and arrow surrounded by a sword.

"Oh Merida," Her mother smiles, "It's wonderful. Not at all like mine, but wonderful none the less."

"Ya can't expect me to make mine look like yours," Merida crosses her legs with a frown on her face.

"I know darlin'," Her mother sighs, "Ya still got to let me get used to this. I know it's been about two years but I'm still entitled to my feelins."

"Mum," Merida stands to her feet, "If I don't marry one of the other clan's boys, who do you think there will be left for me?"

The Queen practically drops her blanket, standing to her feet. Merida turns and rolls her eyes. It had just been a thought that had ran through her mind. To be honest, Merida wasn't expecting that she would say it out loud. To admit that she was thinking about marriage was like admitting that she had been the one who hid fifteen wandering ducks in the kitchen.

"You're thinking about marriage?" Queen Elinor says, approaching Merida carefully.

"It was just a thought mum," Merida curls her hair around her finger, "I mean I was just thinkin'. Do you think I've lost it?"

"No!" Queen Elinor says a bit too enthusiastically, "It's just that… you've never been interested in marriage before. What's got you thinkin' about it now?"

"Well, it's been two years," Merida starts, "And Dad's getting pretty old. One day I'm going to be Queen of all of this." Merida gestures out the window and over all of DunBroch's borders, "All of this will be mine."

"And?" Queen Elinor beckons for Merida to continue.

"I haven't got a friend my own age besides the boys from the other clans," Merida shrugs, "And none of them truly understand me. I'm not sure I want to run this entire kingdom by m'self."

"You won't be alone," Queen Elinor puts an arm around Merida, "You'll have us."

"Mum," Merida brushes her away, "I have no friends! I'm going to be an old lady cooped up with fifteen ducks—"

"Fifteen ducks? What are you talking about?"

"Never mind," Merida says quickly, "It's just that, I'm not big on too much social interaction, and I just don't like the other boys in that way. I don't know what I'm going to do, mum."

"What are you saying?" Queen Elinor crosses her arms, "Do you just want a friend?"

Merida bites her lip and stares out the window, "What I'm saying is that I don't think I'm going to want to be alone forever. I mean romance wise."

"Are you saying you're finally ready to be married?" Elinor smiles.

"Not yet," Merida points, "But I would like to find someone."

Queen Elinor let's out a joyful laugh, pulling Merida into a huge hug. Merida snickers, knowing her mother would react like this. Even as the conversation winds down, Merida doesn't regret anything she had said. She really wasn't expecting to be alone forever! She just wanted the freedom to choose who she would marry at the right time. It should not have been a shock to anyone, but yet, here her mother was, choking her of happiness.

For a while, Queen Elinor and Merida continue to talk, Merida going into detail about when she suddenly had this realization. In the middle of their conversation they hear an ear piercing squeal. Merida instinctively jumps to her feet, rushing to her window. In the few years since the bear incident, she had been in charge of leading and training the DunBroch army. She is always ready for anything—Until she looked out the arched window.

"Is that?" Merida starts, unable to finish a whole sentence, "Is that a dragon?"

As if to answer her question the large bird-like creature opens its mouth, letting loose another blood curdling shriek, spitting fire from its open mouth. One of the houses below catch flame, the village leaders quick to ring the town bells.

"Good heavens! That is a dragon! Hurry Merida, they need you," Queen Elinor says. Without another word Merida dashes towards the door, grabbing her bow and arrows before she exits. Merida hurries through the halls, running into Hamish, Hubert, and Harris—her three younger brothers.

"Boys! Go find mum and stay with her until Dad and I come back!" Merida calls as she rushes forward. She pulls up the hem of her dress as she runs, finally coming to the stables. King Fergus is already there, barking orders to soldiers.

"Dad!" Merida shouts, rushing towards him.

"Oh good, Merida!" King Fergus says in a panic, "I've already set out a squad to the eastern villages. We are going to try to lure the beast into the forest areas."

"The forests are too dangerous Dad! The soldiers could get lost!"

"And people could die if we let that… thing continue to burn down our villages! We do this my way! Take care of the Western soldiers." King Fergus commands.

Merida huffs but pulls on Angus's reigns. She races to the other side of the castle where the soldiers are working on weapon distribution. Merida hops off of Angus, quickly relaying the King's orders. She pulls out a map, pointing out the soldiers' positions. King Fergus's plan is to try to trap the beast in a circle shot formation, pushing it farther back until it is over the forest. When she is finished, she quickly leads them into position.

The cold brisk air, makes it harder to focus. The shawl she had covering her was nothing compared to the thick, bulky jackets the soldiers were wearing. Unfortunately, the think jackets slowed down the army's reaction rates. King Fergus rushes past them, with his sword up, warning them to watch for his signal.

They hear the shriek of the beast, and it takes to the sky again. Merida gazes in wonder at the large, rainbow colored dragon before them. It has spikes lining its back and its tail has thorns sticking out of it. King Fergus's battle cry could be heard from a mile away. The Eastern squad is the first to fire their arrows, the Northern, Southern, and Western holding their ground.

The beast shrieks again, moving towards the forest. It lets out another blow of fire, sending one of their watch towers up in flames. Merida watches in horror as it crumbles. Unfortunately, the beast lands instead of flying towards the forest. Merida rushes towards the scene, as a family screams, trying to escape from the now collapsing building. Merida grabs a little girl's hand and rushes the family to a nearby soldier.

"Take them back to the castle," Merida instructs one of the soldiers. The dragon suddenly turns towards Merida, making a hissing sound. It hops to the ground below, creeping towards her.

"Don't shoot!" Merida shouts as loud as she can. The soldiers are beginning to back up, most of them trying not to shout in fear. Merida's heart is pounding at the speed of light as the yellow eyed, sharp-toothed beast nears her. It's breathe is foul like dung, and it's size was terrifying. The closer it gets, the more freaked Merida gets.

"Merida!" King Fergus shouts.

"I said don't shoot!" Merida shouts back.

"But Merida!"

"I said DON'T SHOOT!" Merida shouts again. The dragon steps backwards, hissing at her shouting. Merida notices how it's front legs are only about the size of a pea. Its hind legs are large and strong. Merida holds out her hand, flinching as it huffs.

"Merida," King Fergus hisses.

"It's alright," Merida coaches as the dragon calmly inches closer and closer to her. It is less than a half inch away from Merida's palm when it let's out a horrific shriek. Instead, the dragon head-butts her, sending her crashing into a few shipping crates. The dragon spins on its heels to face King Fergus who had stabbed its hind parts.

"Dad!" Merida screams, She rushes towards him as the dragon sets fire to the surrounding buildings. The soldiers are all now after the creature. Luckily, they are still pushing it towards the forest. They take turns, trying to stab at the dragons feet.

"Wait!" Merida calls, trying to maintain her balance as the stampeding army push the beast backwards. In an instant, the creature is up in the air, it's wings expanding and contracting in the air.

"Oh gosh," Merida says watching as it takes off over the forest, diving in somewhere along the way. Merida runs a hand through her hair, wondering where a dragon could've come from.

"Well don't just stand there!" Merida shouts at the soldiers, "Use the snow to put the fires out!"

The soldiers rush into action, tossing snow onto the fires and salvaging as many items as they can. The villagers reluctantly exit from their hiding places. The streets are filled with terrified people. Merida rushes to her father's side hoisting him onto his feet.

"Don't you ever do that again!" King Fergus shouts, "That was much too dangerous!"

"Dad, I had it under control!" Merida grunts, "It wasn't going to hurt me."

"Merida, look around," King Fergus gestures to the smoking houses around, "It's freezing outside, the past few shipments of resources haven't come in, and now people are out of places to live! The last thing any of us need is a dead, beloved princess."

"Father, it was going to be alright," Merida rolls her eyes, "I could feel it! It was like we were connected."

"Yes, both of you are completely reckless," King Fergus laughs, "I love you Merida, and you know I am the first one to say Elinor is acting like a bafoon. But you have to think next time."

"I will," Merida bows her head. This was her first real situation where she had to lead the army and she blew it. Not completely, but she mostly blew it. Once the fires are out, Merida and King Fergus round up the families who had lost their houses. The soldiers march with them back to the castle. Once they reach the castle gates, Queen Elinor is waiting with the triplets in tow. She rushes to give Merida a hug once they are in sight.

"Oh, thank the heavens!" Queen Elinor says kissing Merida on the cheek and King Fergus as well, "What happened?"

"It was a dragon!" King Fergus says turning to the soldiers, "Take the families to the west wing of the castle. Make sure they are properly cared for."

"How many injured?" Queen Elinor inquires.

"A couple injured," Merida says, "No deaths so far. At least none that was the dragon's fault."

"I thought dragons were just legend," Queen Elinor shakes her head, "How could this have happened?"

"The scrolls," King Fergus shakes his head, "There has to be something I missed."

"Dad, you've gone through those scrolls a hundred times. There's nothing in them that we don't already know." Merida protests, "Let's just concentrate on learning what we can—"

"No," King Fergus shakes his head, "We need to check again. Elinor, would you mind?"

"Of course not dear," Elinor says, "Come on, we'll all go look."

The family walks together, the three boys wreaking havoc as they wander the halls. The fire lit cooridors are still not enough to circulate heat throughout the castle. Merida finds herself shivering, attempting to wrap her shawl tighter around her. King Fergus clings to Queen Elinor, keeping her warm. Merida feels her heart skip a beat and a wave of sadness sweep over her. Just as quickly as the feeling had come, it passes.

Soon they come to a door without a knob. King Fergus pounds on the door, an older gentlemen pokes his head through the window. He shouts a greeting and then disappears. Merida hears the clicking of locks and suddenly the door opens. Her triplet brothers storm into the room, laughing and giggling as they hop into a pile of scrolls. Merida's jaw drops as she gazes around the room. It was not very large, but the scroll room is five stories high. There is a single, spiraling staircase that leads to the very top.

"How are we supposed to find anything in this mess?" Merida looks around, "There's got to be over a thousand scrolls here!"

"We best start looking," King Fergus says, moving Hamish and his brothers from the pile on the floor. Queen Elinor and Merida exchange glances. Merida heads towards the top of the scroll room. She starts taking out scroll after scroll, and book after book. Merida has only read the scrolls her mother brings out during lessons. She had no idea there were this many scrolls!

After a few hours of looking, Merida is getting restless. She has barely looked at half of the scrolls on the top level. She pulls out another scroll, groaning as she opens it. The scroll was the legend of Ardus, a ruthless Viking king from years ago. It was the battle that pulled the four clans together after Mor'du. Her mother always used this story in her lessons. Merida continues to read, studying the pictures that are being drawn. At the end of the scroll, she notices a picture of a fleeing Ardus, with a weird creature behind it. Merida brings the paper closer, zoning in on the picture. The creature had a spiky, round tail and was short and stubby. It's wings are tucked at its side and it is chained to the boat.

"Dad?" Merida calls down.

"What is it?" King Fergus called up.

"Did the Vikings that attacked years ago have dragons?" Merida asks bounding down the stairs.

"The Vikings? You mean the sea invaders?" King Fergus shrugs, "They didn't have any dragons."

"Then can you explain this picture?" Merida hands King Fergus the scroll. Queen Elinor leans over his shoulder, gasping as she reads.

"Where did you find this?" Queen Elinor says, "I've never seen this scroll before in my life! And I would know, I've told this story hundreds of times."

"I found it towards the back of the third row of scrolls on the top floor. Is it a dragon?" Merida asks.

"Dragons supposedly take many forms," The old man finally says, he shuffles forwards pointing to the paper, "That is just one of them."

"You mean you knew where to find out about dragons? Why didn't you tell us?" Merida asks.

"You never asked," the old man shrugs, scuffling back to his seat.

"What can you tell us?" King Fergus asks.

"I've read these scrolls over and over again. All of them full of their own stories," The old man gestures to the scrolls, "Dragons are found throughout many of them. Their origin is unknown and they aren't found around these parts. Any time a dragon is spotted, it is spotted out at sea, on a different island, or from invaders."

"Are you saying there is a threat?" Merida says, "Are the Vikings coming back?"

"No one can be for sure," The old man yawns, "But I would be prepared for anythin'."

Merida, Queen Elinor, and King Fergus exchange worried looks. None of them would have been worried about invaders if it wasn't for the dragons. That was bordering on unfamiliar territory. How were they going to fight a creature they do not know how to fight? True, they had taken on Mor'du, but the last thing they wanted was a dozen more creatures just like him.

The family leaves the scroll room with something else to worry about. They had one dragon on the loose, and a possible incoming invasion. They were well prepared, but it would take weeks to get the word out to the other clans. By then it might be too late to call in reinforcements.

"What are we going to do?" Queen Elinor says, "If they attack and we haven't heard from the other clans, we'll be ruined! We can't take on a whole army of dragons."

"That's not going to happen!" King Fergus says, "Merida and I will make sure the army is creating enough weapons and we will recruit some more people from town, and we will be ready!"

"But Dad," Merida starts but King Fergus holds up a hand.

"Nothing threatens my kingdom. We will be ready." King Fergus walks away. Hamish, Hubert and Harris shrug, wandering away to their own schemes. Merida and Queen Elinor are left alone in the hallway.

"I can't believe this is happening," Merida says, "Mum, what are we going to do if we get attacked?"

Queen Elinor takes a deep breathe before speaking, "We will be ready for anythin'. Promise me you will be brave through all of this? Promise me, Merida!"

"I promise," Merida says without hesitation. Queen Elinor sighs, and pulls Merida into a hug, "I promise."

"Make preparations!" A deep strong voice calls. His voice echoes through the large, spacious cave. His men begin to move out, tossing weapons to each other. One of the men moves a large rock and out from the darkness comes a herd of dragons, each with their own look, and their own saddle. The man stands on the highest peak, watching as his riders mount their dragons. He has a scar on the side of his cheek and his dark hair is tucked under a Viking helmet. He is a muscular man with scars covering nearly every inch of his body.

"Ardus!" A girl's voice calls. Ardus turns to find a tall, blonde girl with cute bangs and a fur coat approaching, "Are you kidding? We can't move out! We just sent the leader to DunBroch!"

"Astrid, Astrid, Astrid," Ardus laughs running a finger over Astrid's cheek, "Our men are ready. Your dragons have done well. That little pipsqueak friend of yours trained them to meet my expectations."

"Hiccup is not a pipsqueak anymore," Astrid glares, "And you know he's not my friend."

"Yes, I forget," Ardus snickers, "You broke his heart when you destroyed his village and took all of his perfectly trained dragons."

"Let's not talk about it," Astrid rolls her eyes, "I wasted years with Hiccup. He is weak, and soft-hearted. Him bringing his mother back was a mistake."

"And now you have your revenge," Ardus brings Astrid closer to the ledge, letting her peer down at the large amounts of metal being melted down into weapons. Boats are being loaded up with materials, soldiers are in training, and the dragons are being brought to their flight positions. Astrid sighs of relief, still believing that her betrayal to Hiccup was the right thing to do. Soon she would have everything she wants and Hiccup would not be able to say anything about it.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to take down DunBroch?" Astrid asks, "I mean, what will we get out of it?"

"A new life," Ardus says, "Berk was miserable during winter. DunBroch has ten times more resources than we will ever have here. Luckily, we destroyed their last shipments and Artemis, the leader of the dragons, hopefully devastated their villages enough to work in our advantage. We should be able to get in and take over without a hitch."

"And the other clans?" Astrid puts her hands on her hips.

"They'll fall just as quickly as DunBroch," Ardus nods, "Once King Fergus falls, and every other clan will follow."

Astrid smiles as the sun begins to set, "You're right uncle. At dawn, we ride."