Httyd: The Untamed (Remastered)

As they left, I was left alone in the large tent, the silence a stark contrast to the earlier chaos. I took out the coffin where Merida laid. I walked towards it, then knelt, my hand gently caressing her face. It's now or never, I thought, a profound sense of anticipation mixing with a touch of fear. I had considered prolonging it, just in case she would try to stop my actions once revived. But then, a more honest truth surfaced: No, that was a lie. I just really miss her and want her back now. Knowing that I had the power to revive her makes me uncomfortable, this waiting.

And with that, I used my new powers on her. A light green energy surrounded her, causing her body to slowly float from the coffin. The energy then entered her form, making it glow with an ethereal light. My body shook with anticipation, a tremor running through my mighty frame. As the process continued, I suddenly sensed two extremely powerful beings watching me for a slight moment before disappearing. I gulped, pushing the unsettling thought to the back of my mind. If they really wanted to hurt me, they would have by now.

Soon, her body began to slowly descend. I held my arms forward, catching her as she fell towards me. As the light disappeared, her eyelids began to twitch. I breathed heavily, my heart hammering with excitement. As her eyes slowly opened, their familiar blue gaze meeting mine, my tears unknowingly fell, tracing paths down my cheeks.

"Erik?" she asked, her voice soft, slightly raspy.

I shook, a tremor of pure emotion. "Yes, it's me," I replied, my voice thick.

"Why are you crying?" she asked, a gentle confusion in her eyes.

I hugged her tightly, crushing her gently against me. "I just really missed you," I whispered, the words heavy with years of unspoken grief.

Before I could continue, loud footsteps echoed through the tent flap. My father barged in first, an axe surprisingly in hand, with Moon perched on his shoulder. Jin and my generals were right behind them. When they saw me, the formidable conqueror, weeping openly in a woman's arms, they were utterly slack-jawed. This was especially shocking because I had barely shown any emotion, and even then, it was only ever for Moon.

"Mom!" Moon shrieked, her voice a burst of pure joy. She leaped off my dad's shoulder and joined in the hug, squeezing between Merida and me. My father wasn't shocked that Merida was alive, as I had just acquired the ability to bring the dead back to life. Instead, he simply laughed loudly, a booming sound of happiness, and enveloped all three of us in his massive embrace.

Three hours later, the initial shock of Merida's return had settled. I had been momentarily surprised when thousands of my men appeared around the tent, but they arrived because they had seen the bright green light emanating from within. Since they had never seen me use anything like that before, they assumed it was an attack. They knew I wouldn't be in danger, but they were scared that I might accidentally use too much power and destroy something, so they ran over.

During those three hours, I explained to Merida what had happened. She had no idea she had died; for her, it had just been a moment, but for me, it was years. Of course, I conveniently left out the gruesome wars and other unpleasant details. I then gifted her with a ring that shimmered faintly, infused with so much protection that it would surprise me if even sand could bypass its layers. I had stacked hundreds of thousands of rune protections on top of each other. There was no way anyone could hurt her now.

"By the way, Erik, did you get taller?" Merida asked, her brow furrowed slightly as she looked up at me.

I then looked at myself, truly seeing my current stature. I nodded. I indeed did get taller. Though I had never thought deeply about it, I was practically a giant compared to Merida now. My eyes widened at that fact.

"Diastasi, how do I stop growing?" I asked internally.

"It's okay, Erik, you have already stopped growing," she replied, her voice calm.

I sighed, a wave of relief washing over me. At least I don't have to worry about that.

"Is there something wrong?" Merida asked, noticing my momentary concern.

I nodded, meeting her gaze. "I feel that we should get married sooner," I said with a straight face, the decision firm in my mind.

"What? Well, I mean, I wouldn't mind," she answered, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks.

I took that as a definitive sign. I stood and then walked out of the tent, my voice booming across the camp. "Prepare a grand wedding!" All my soldiers, though clearly confused by the sudden command, immediately obliged, their training overriding their bewilderment. I returned to the tent and spoke to Merida. "I'll be back in a few moments."

I then teleported back to Berk and found my mom and Hiccup, who were in the middle of eating. "Gather all the villagers! I'll be back!" Before they could even comprehend what I said, I disappeared again. This time, I materialized in the dining hall of DunBroch. As I saw all the royals there, I simply teleported them to the Agrabah tent's main table, then one by one, I found my generals and teleported them as well. They were utterly unaware of what was happening, but I'd let the others explain. Before I teleported back to Berk, I made a quick stop at the tent first and asked them to make space. They complied, rearranging furniture with bewildered expressions. I then teleported back to Berk, and seeing that everyone was equally confused, I didn't explain. I simply teleported them and myself straight to Agrabah.

I didn't even let them collect their thoughts as I then raised my voice, Merida appearing right next to me with another flash of light.

"Within a day, me and Merida will be wedded! Get everything prepared!" I commanded, my voice resonating with absolute authority.

"I-isn't this too fast?" Merida asked, a mix of shock and amusement in her voice.

"No," I said with unwavering conviction. "I waited too long. And nothing will stop me from this."

Everyone present sweat-dropped, but no one dared to say anything further. Preparation began instantly as the men and women split to do their own things. The women immediately dragged Merida away, likely to begin her own transformation, while the men followed me. All the men gathered into a large group, a boisterous assembly, as they began speaking over each other, debating the clothes, jewels, and hairstyle I should wear.

As the men started rioting over ideas, Diastasi spoke in my mind. "Hey Erik, I have a bunch of clothes you could try," she said excitedly.

My eyebrow lifted. "How much?" I asked, though I genuinely wanted to save my points, this was a special occasion.

"Nothing, it'll be for free. I really love all these kinds of festivals, and I personally chose the really beautiful clothes from my collection," she answered.

"Is that so," I said, a faint smile touching my lips. "But they seem to want to be part of it." I moved my eyes across the men, who were practically fighting over potential decorations for my wedding clothes.

"No problem," she answered with a digital shrug.

A moment later, a huge, shimmering crystal appeared in the center of the tent, and a projection was shown. All eyes moved and surveyed the projection as various outfits materialized, me wearing them on the display.

They gathered closer, beginning to vote. The first was a suit tailored with all kinds of jewelry, gleaming with every possible gem. It was immediately disliked. "It has too many gems," my father grumbled.

"It is not fit for a warrior," Spitelout added, shaking his head. All the warriors nodded in agreement.

The projection then changed, showing a simple suit in white and yellow, with little to no jewelry. "It matches our wedding clothes!" my father stated approvingly. Spitelout nodded alongside him.

"But," Spitelout retorted, a frown on his face, "it doesn't seem to match Eric." All the others nodded in agreement.

Viggo then noticed something and walked closer to the crystal. There were some interactive screens on the crystal's base. He looked towards me. "May I?" he asked, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

I nodded. He then pressed a button on the screen, which instantly made my facial hair disappear from the projection.

Everyone paused, then started whispering, before Spitelout burst into loud laughter. "You look like a woman!" he bellowed, tears in his eyes. My mouth twitched. I had never fully shaved my beard before, only trimmed it. It was an unexpected sight. The similarity to my mother was uncanny. And from that moment, I knew I had to keep the beard.

"Why don't you shave it, lass?" Gobber bellowed good-naturedly.

"It stays," I answered almost immediately, my tone leaving no room for argument.

An hour later, they finally finished choosing. They settled on a suit adorned with some gold accessories, but not excessively so. The suit itself was black, sleek and imposing. The shoes were also black, so they added touches of red to bring in vibrancy, including a flowing red cape to match. I smiled at the final product. Though it didn't have anything from their own tribes and clans, they didn't complain, because it truly looked great on me.

I thought it was finally done, but then Elsa and Queen Elinor entered, walking through the path the men quickly made for them. Elinor was surprised upon seeing the glowing crystal.

"Greetings," the men said, giving a curt bow. I nodded in return.

"Why are you here? Has there been a problem?" I asked, my brow furrowing slightly.

They shook their heads. "We have something important to discuss," Queen Elinor stated, her voice calm but firm.

"Proceed," I commanded.

"This marriage will be an important day. But not only for you and Merida," she stated, her eyes sharp. "This wedding is important because during all these years, you had conquered but have yet to go through the proper process to become a king. And now that you will be married, it will be the perfect time to truly establish a new kingdom."

She wasn't wrong. I had more territory than the average ruler, though I was far from average, I had yet to go through a proper coronation. "I understand. I'll have to ask you two to plan, since I myself am not experienced in this matter, and—" I paused, my eyes moving across the large tent, landing on the chaotic heap of rejected clothes and discarded ideas. "I don't trust the men with the decorations," I said dryly.

Their mouths twitched at my statement, but they held back their comments.

"Leave it to us," Elsa and Queen Elinor said in unison, a shared look of determination passing between them.

I handed them two storage rings. "These hold all kinds of treasure from throughout the archipelago. If you see anything that you think would work for the wedding, then use it," I said. They bowed in acceptance.

Elsa prepared to leave, but paused when she noticed Queen Elinor stayed behind. "What is it?" I asked.

She hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry for doubting you," Elinor said, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "And thank you for bringing my daughter back."

"You don't have to say such things," I replied, a rare moment of genuine empathy. "I know it was hard for you as well during then."

She gave a deeper bow, a truly heartfelt one, and then excused herself. I couldn't and wouldn't blame her for her past doubts. When Merida had died, she was utterly heartbroken, and then when she found out that I refused to give her a proper burial, she would have held deep resentment. She had thought I had gone mad when I stated that I could bring Merida back.

I then turned back to the men, who were still awkwardly quiet. "I guess we have to think of a name for our new kingdom," I said.

They roared in excitement, all past awkwardness forgotten, and immediately came up with a cacophony of names, their warrior spirits rekindled by the challenge.