"Astrid!" Hiccup called from the air.

Merida, Toothless, and Hiccup had made it back to the castle grounds, but everything seemed eerily calm. Some soldiers stood outside and looked around for the injured and the dead. To Hiccup and Merida it seemed too easy, the tension should still be present from the fight.

"Please, we didn't mean to hurt ye!" Merida added.

She noticed how quiet it was as well. They landed in front of the castle where Stormfly was left under a tent. Stormfly hissed at Toothless and turned away from them.

"Stormfly, please don't be like this," Hiccup told her.

Stormfly continued to ignore him. Hiccup sighed.

"Aa-choo!" Merida sniffled and rubbed her nose.

"We need to go inside. Fighting in the cold and rain will make you sick," Hiccup replied.

"We need to find Astrid and Lord DingWall. *Ah-choo!* To make sure Gaston's sorcery is really gone," Merida replied as she shivered.

Hiccup sighed and helped her inside the castle. Toothless stayed with Stormfly, trying to get her to look at him. Maudie saw the Princess's state and ran over with two blankets. She wrapped one around Merida and handed Hiccup the other.

"Here, you're worse than I am," Hiccup said and wrapped the other one around her.

"That doesn't mean ye won't get sick either," Merida replied.

"I'll be fine," Hiccup replied.

Merida frowned and threw the blanket on him.

"Don't try acting all tough with me Haddock," Merida huffed.

"You know, I don't think you should call me that," Hiccup told her.

"What? Why not?" Merida asked and rubbed her red nose.

"Well, aren't you a Haddock now?" He asked leaning closer with a smug smile.

Merida puffed her cheeks out to hide her embarrassment and pushed his face away. She looked back at Maudie who seemed like she was about to faint.

"Maudie, where are my parents?" Merida asked.

"Umm! The Queen and Young princes are in the cellar. King Fergus just left to get them out," Maudie replied continuing to stare wide eyed at the Princess and the viking.

Merida sighed with relief, "What about Lord DingWall? And the Hairy Hooligan Tribe?"

Maudie stepped back trying to process all the questions and the small scene of affection she had just witnessed.

"Lord DingWall is in the dining area along with the Lords, their children, and their clansmen. The vikings left a while ago. All except the General and the chief's mother," Maudie replied. "They should still be upstairs."

"Please send a few guards into the forest to look for the Royal Doctor," Merida instructed.

"Uh, yes, Princess," Maudie replied quickly and left.

"We should talk to Astrid first, before she leaves," Merida told Hiccup and walked forward.

Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Wait, I'll talk to Astrid. You should talk to Lord DingWall and the rest of your people," Hiccup replied.

"I'm not letting ye *Sniff* do that alone," Merida countered.

"I won't be alone," he replied and held her left hand in his.

He gingerly ran his thumb across her hand on the silver band around her finger.

"Remember? Not even death," he told her.

"Not even death," Merida repeated. "I feel awful, today is the happiest day of my life... but it's also Astrid's worst."

"What could we have done?" Hiccup asked.

Merida stood quiet and looked down. Hiccup picked her chin up and smiled.

"We'll get through this, together," he told her.

Merida nodded and smiled. They held hands for a bit before separating and going into their respective battles.

~In the Dining room~

"Ye can't expect us to believe that rubbish!" Lord MacIntosh yelled.

"Well, that's what happened!" Catriona replied.

Lord DingWall stood shocked at his daughters outburst. Catriona, despite being the chattier twin, had never spoken out— and certainly never toward a Lord.

"Da would never cause a bloody fight like this! The Princess knows about this, we were in search of the sorcerer when this happened," Wee DingWall tried to help.

"They aren't lying! Da, their was a Frenchman with magic that could control people," Lillias tried to reason while Graeme agreed.

"Yes, Tuffnut, Callum, and I were looking for the magic man when-" Aileas began to explain.

"Magic? Please! The queen turning into a bear and dragons I can believe, but a sorcerer who made DingWall cause this fight is too outrageous!" Lord MacGuffin asked. "And don't ye dare utter that Viking's name. The only good thing that came of this battle is that he is gone now."

"The Hairy Hooligan Tribe is friendly. We've only just met yesterday and they were willing to risk their lives to help us. Da, if it weren't for Fishlegs I would have been injured," Iseabail admitted.

Iseabail voice shocked Lord DingWall even more.

"Who dared to try to harm you?" Lord DingWall demanded.

Iseabail looked away from him and he understood. He almost fell to his knees but grabbed onto a table nearby.

"But it was an accident! Ye didn't mean to!" Iseabail tried to make him feel.

"Now I know it's true. I would never harm ye," he told her and placed a hand on her cheek. "I told ye I can't remember anything that ye're talking about."

"Lord DingWall speaks the truth," Merida intervened despite her hoarse voice. "Ye were not there during today's meeting."

"What meeting?" Lord MacIntosh demanded.

"We had a meeting today, ye were not informed on time, and we would have waited if that sorcerer had not taken possession of the Queen," Merida replied. "However, the other leaders were present. And I'd like to give my sincerest apologies for everything. I was unable to stop it from happening."

"First Mor'du, then the dragons, now this?" Lord MacGuffin scoffed.

"That is exactly why ye should believe me. Ye've seen it with your own eyes. Ye always doubt, but who ends up being right?" Merida challenged.

The Lords remained quiet and looked at each other. Merida took the blanket off and stood tall as she made her way to the center. A certain feeling of deja vu formed as she remembered that exact scene only 4 years ago.

She ran her thumb across the silver band on her ring finger. Well, almost the exact same scene.

"I know it may be difficult to understand for those of ye who have only now visited our kingdom, but ye have to believe in what I say. An intruder snuck into our kingdom in search of destruction. He wanted nothing more than to see our kingdom fall. But as ye can see by my tattered dress, he was defeated. The Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe and I fought a grueling battle, one which almost costed our lives," Merida recounted what happened.

"Princess, I give you my humblest apology. I don't know how that sorcerer got to me," Lord DingWall declared and bowed his head.

"It wasn't yer fault Da," Iseabail told him.

"It could have happened to anyone, including my father," Kirsteen agreed and looked at Lord MacIntosh.

"Please believe me when I say he is gone. Now, we must work together to treat our people back to health. We must remember today as a day where our loyalty proved to be far stronger than magic," Merida declared.

"Princess, you must understand that this is all very... overwhelming to us," a king from another kingdom carefully admitted.

"I know, we would like for ye all to stay for the rest of the festivities, but if ye choose to leave we will understand. I only hope that this does not scar the friendship we were beginning to form," Merida replied. "For now, please tend to the injured. We will hold a ceremony for the dead as well once they are all identified and their families are informed."

The Lords and leaders agreed and left to find their people. Merida finally allowed herself to sneeze while she walked toward the door to meet with Hiccup. She only hoped Astrid would understand in time.

"Princess! Wait! Can I ask ye something?" Aileas called from across the room.

Merida turned to see her walking over. The rest of the Lord's older children joined in and surrounded her.

"Will Tuff-- Will the Vikings come back?" Aileas asked.

"Yes, will they? We can't let them go like this. They have to know that we do not see them as a threat," Catriona agreed.

"I need to apologize to Lady Ruffnut, when Da was being controlled he tied her up once he found us together. I managed to help her escape, but she was very angry. She wouldn't talk to me," Wee DingWall told her.

"I can't go on without thanking Fishlegs for saving me," Iseabail added.

"I'll make sure they know all this," Merida assured them.

"No, we want to do it. Personally," Kirsteen intervened.

Merida was taken aback by her statement. She looked at all their determined faces and smiled.

"I see, well I will do everything in my power to bring them back so that ye may all tell them how ye feel," Merida promised. "By the way, where is Ryan?"

"I haven't seen him since this morning," Kirsteen replied.

"He was in the Viking's room with a few of us before the fight started. Fishlegs and I were on our way back, but my da took me before we made it," Iseabail told them. "Then, he came down here a few minutes ago, but I think I saw him run out the room and toward the stairs."

"He might be upstairs then," Merida replied. "There's something I need to do, but rest assured that I will bring them back."

The Scots nodded and wished her luck as she left the room to go upstairs.