[He hadn't wanted to ask, not sure if the subject might still be too sensitive for her to discuss, but he's giving his attention when she gives him the answer he's seeking anyway.]
Two years, that's ... [Not the worst, but so much can still change in that time.] You got taller.
[It's not much of a sensitive subject. Despite how lonely she felt without Jack and Hiccup and everyone else, in spite of thinking it had all been a dream, it hadn't been so bad.]
Aye. [Merida gives a small giggle.] I'm a little taller now. My nineteenth birthday just passed a few months ago.
[He's glad to hear her giggling at least. He'd been hopeful this wouldn't have ended badly, that she'd wake up alright, and at least he got that much.]
Nineteen, huh? Wow, now you're technically older than me. The nagging mom role will actually suit you now.
[She sounds a little surprised at herself. Either she never told him or he never listened. It's one of those two.]
Long ago, there was an ancient kingdom. Ruled by a wise an' fair king who was beloved by all his people. When he grew old, he divided th' kingdom among his four sons, so that they may be the pillars on which th' peace of th' land rested. [Merida wet her lips, glancing off to the side.] War came. Brother fought brother. Th' oldest prince wanted to rule th' land for himself. He followed a path through th' forest to a witch's cottage, an' asked her to grant him th' strength of ten men.
[Her shoulders slack a little, closing her eyes.]
He called his brothers under th' pretense of a peace treaty, an' drank th' potion th' witch gave him. It turned him into a bear th' size of a small mountain, coarse black fur, razor sharp claws an' teeth. His own men attacked, for they didn't recognize him, an' he failed to heed th' witch's words about mendin' th' bond torn by pride. Death came to all those who witnessed his transformation, an' a darkness fell across th' land.
[She opens her eyes, glancing off to the side.]
We called him Mor'du. Great black. A demon bear with weapons of fallen warriors across his back that had been a plight through th' kingdom before I was even born. My father defended me an' my mother from him once, back when I was little, an' he lost a leg for it.
[Nah, she couldn't have told him about this. He'd for sure listen to a story about crazy mad bears.]
So, your dad's kind of like Hic, huh? [Just replace bears with dragons.] Yeah, you definitely never mentioned rabid bears running around her place before.
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Two years, that's ... [Not the worst, but so much can still change in that time.] You got taller.
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Aye. [Merida gives a small giggle.] I'm a little taller now. My nineteenth birthday just passed a few months ago.
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Nineteen, huh? Wow, now you're technically older than me. The nagging mom role will actually suit you now.
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[That had been something she'd come to understand that mothers did, that they cared about people in their care in different ways. Speaking of mothers]
I made up with my mum. An' Mor'du's gone now too. Th' kingdom's been at peace for a while now.
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Who the heck is Mor'du?
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[She sounds a little surprised at herself. Either she never told him or he never listened. It's one of those two.]
Long ago, there was an ancient kingdom. Ruled by a wise an' fair king who was beloved by all his people. When he grew old, he divided th' kingdom among his four sons, so that they may be the pillars on which th' peace of th' land rested. [Merida wet her lips, glancing off to the side.] War came. Brother fought brother. Th' oldest prince wanted to rule th' land for himself. He followed a path through th' forest to a witch's cottage, an' asked her to grant him th' strength of ten men.
[Her shoulders slack a little, closing her eyes.]
He called his brothers under th' pretense of a peace treaty, an' drank th' potion th' witch gave him. It turned him into a bear th' size of a small mountain, coarse black fur, razor sharp claws an' teeth. His own men attacked, for they didn't recognize him, an' he failed to heed th' witch's words about mendin' th' bond torn by pride. Death came to all those who witnessed his transformation, an' a darkness fell across th' land.
[She opens her eyes, glancing off to the side.]
We called him Mor'du. Great black. A demon bear with weapons of fallen warriors across his back that had been a plight through th' kingdom before I was even born. My father defended me an' my mother from him once, back when I was little, an' he lost a leg for it.
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So, your dad's kind of like Hic, huh? [Just replace bears with dragons.] Yeah, you definitely never mentioned rabid bears running around her place before.