After a few minutes of simply racing through the air at a breakneck speed, Frostbite seemed to acquire a mind of her own, and Merida wasn't sure what to do about it. She yelped the first time that her new friend suddenly swerved to the right in midair, and then yelled outright when she dived towards the ground. When the dragon skidded to a stop in the middle of a clearing, Merida realized that she was clinging to her neck, breathing raggedly.

"You could've gotten me killed! Could've killed both of us, for that matter!"

Merida slid off of Frostbite's back, continuing her rant and letting anger cover up her terror – a familiar tactic to her. She was so absorbed in scolding the dragon – who would've thought: scolding a dragon – to notice when Toothless landed in the clearing as well, carrying a concerned Hiccup.

"Merida?" the Viking spoke softly, lighting from his pet and walking towards her.. "Are you okay?"

She kept her back to him and walked over to the edge of a narrow stream that ran through the grassy land. Back rigid and arms folded tightly over her chest, she snapped, "Yes!"

"Really? Because you don't look okay, you know."

"Shut it, would you?" Merida snarled, hating how weak, cold and close to tears she felt as she knelt down beside the stream.

"Why do you hate me?" Hiccup asked, sounding genuinely confused. "I thought that all princesses want to get married."

At that, Merida mustered up a brittle, mocking laugh, not daring to give him her thoughts on that common misconception.

"What did I ever do to you?" Hiccup asked, and Merida could hear him edging ever closer, though she had yet to turn and look at him.

Merida hugged herself with one arm and employed the other hand in wiping away a mortifying tear as she answered, "You trapped me."

"Trapped you?" Hiccup repeated, sounding more confused than ever.

"In this… marriage."

Hiccup paused, weighing his words before he said, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm as trapped as you are."

Merida couldn't help the very unladylike snort that slipped out at that before she declared, "No, you're not."

"I'm pretty sure that I'm wearing a ring now, same as you."

"And that's the only thing that this is going to change for you!" Merida declared, her voice rapidly climbing a few octaves. "You're going to keep on riding dragons and pillaging and doing whatever else crazy things that Vikings do, and I'm going to do what while you're forever away? I'm going to be stuck in a house with a pack of filthy children far away from my home and family with no friends, and nothing to do but remind myself not to kill the dumb children!"

Following her outburst, Hiccup folded himself cross-legged onto the ground beside her. She felt him staring intently at her face, but she refused to look at him.

"Merida," his voice was a cracked version of gentle, like he was partially afraid of her, partially confused, and partially trying to help someone that he… well, loved. "Look at me, Merida."

She begrudgingly complied, knowing that her eyes were rimmed a horrid tear-induced red. Hiccup took her hand, and she almost jerked away from the touch before she realized that he was so intent on trying to form his thought that he hadn't noticed that he had even done it. Besides, the physical contact meant warmth in this frozen island nothingness.

Finally Hiccup seemed to collect his thoughts well enough to form them into words and he said, "I know exactly what it's like to be forced to stay at home and do the work that is considered domestic, and I didn't like it either."

"The chieftain's son?" Merida asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied, going into the story of how his life was before he had learned that it was possible to train the dragons instead of kill them and the fame and respect that he had garnered among the people of Berk because of that. At length, he said, "But none of that is my point; my point is that I would never ask you to remain cooped up in a house unless that's how you want it to be. You'll find that here on Berk, the women are equal with the men, really." He smiled before asking, "Does that sound okay to you?"

Merida nodded eagerly, so desperately wanting to trust what her new husband was telling her, but rather wary to do so.

"Good," Hiccup smirked. "Because I don't want some simpering, spoiled little princess; I much prefer one who isn't afraid to go after a dragon or bear with a dagger that is much too small for such tasks."

Merida almost sighed. "That was my mum's doing; she was always trying to get me to become a proper princess when I still lived at home."

"Well, I'm glad that she failed," Hiccup said, suddenly searching Merida's eyes as if he might find the answers to the world's questions therein. "I don't want someone who I can step all over; I want someone who is strong enough to stand by my side as my equal."

"You really mean that, don't you?" Merida asked timidly.

He nodded. "I do."

Merida smiled a small smile towards him, just for him, and gently squeezed his hand. Maybe – just maybe – it wouldn't be such a bad idea to give Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third a fighting chance to prove himself after all. Certainly, if he kept his word regarding what he had just said to her that would be more than enough for Merida. Hiccup looked down in surprise, noticing for the first time their intertwined hands in her lap. He looked nervously back up into her eyes.

They were honest eyes, Merida decided, windows to his soul, her mother might say. He hadn't been lying to her; they were going to be equal partners in this marriage.

Hiccup tried to pull his hand away, but Merida gently held on, so he raised their hands into the air, asking, "Are you going to kill me for this?"

Merida shook her head. "No."

"Then what are you going to do?"

His voice almost cracked, and for some reason that made her smile. She had just gotten what she wanted; she wasn't going to hurt him. But, then, what was she going to do about it?

"This," she whispered.

Coming to a decision and acting instantly upon it before she could change her mind, Merida leaned towards him, closing the gap between them, and kissed him. Quickly getting over his moment of shock, Hiccup pulled away from her, looking unsure of what he should do, despite knowing exactly what he wanted to do.

"Thank you," Merida whispered.

She had confused him again, she could tell, and he asked, "For what?"

"For giving me… a reason to be okay, a reason to want to learn to love you."

Hiccup smiled, suddenly getting brave as he scooted closer to her and asked, "Does it sound crazy for me to tell you that I think that I love you already?"

Merida laughed at that. "No, not really."

"Good." Hiccup laughed too, and that's when Merida really felt it.

Real happiness sprung up in her chest, and hope; both things that she had lost since her mother had announced her impending nuptials. And infatuation. She truly could see herself loving this man before her. After all, he wasn't exactly the massive, vulgar, filthy man that she had expected; if anything he was the exact opposite.

And that was when she first felt it – not quiet love, she didn't think, but rather a… stirring of affection for her Viking husband. She kissed him again, and this time he responded in kind, boldly pulling her to him. Merida obligingly wrapped her arms around his neck, and neither one of them noticed when Toothless snorted at them and flew away with Frostbite at his side, knowing that their work was done.

This wasn't what Merida had foreseen as happening, but she should have. After all, they were young adults and he was her husband – what was a girl to do but fall in love with him?

Longest and last chapter! I hope you enjoyed the story; sorry it ended so abruptly. I would still really appreciate feedback if you feel like it. Thanks!:)