The Cause {A Mericcup Novel}

Chapter 20

Disclaimer: this chapter contains slight angst; viewer discretion is advised.

The following half an hour consisted of many introductions and relational explanations, including: the old man's true name-Leo- and Sop's finding of Hiccup's dragon, Toothless, in the potato fields, who helped him scare off the hungry crows, and then Leo's response in sucking the dragon into a magic jar. The circumspection of their tale amplified when the cave-man attempted to relay how he himself was no warlock, but that he was under the orders of a Nordic witch from Dunbroch, who was a supercilious woman, desiring both the bodies of the ancient glow-worms and the energy crystals they produced within the cavern. For generations, Leo's family was known as the apothecaries who possessed an ancient tea, which was made up of grounded crystal powder, and protectors of the few remaining glow-bugs. However, Leo sacrificed his pharmaceutical position when the witch found him and his brother- Sop's name was Prata at the time- in their hospice house on their field. She desired all of his property, and she threatened his life for it. Unfortunately, when he refused to surrender, she killed Prata's body and cast his soul into a scarecrow, creating a ten-year-old Tattie-Bogle. At telling this memory, Leo grew misty-eyed and sniffed as he continued to describe the burning of the hospice.

"So I made a deal-thing with the witch: everything I produce goes to her and she lets the worms live," Leo finished. Then he chugged the last of his "milk" (watered down, glow-worm slime) in an attempt to quench the sorrow.

Sop huffed in disbelief, challenging, "Me don't remember any of that!" Earlier, Sop had transferred his soul into a newly prepared scarecrow. It was crisper and rounder than his previous body, and the fresh one did not have a stitched smile or a straw hat.

"Because I begged her to make you forget that, man. Trust me, you don't want to remember it," Leo answered as if they had discussed the same issue time and time again.

As they ate boiled potatoes under the crystal shelter, the Princess and Chief sat opposite to Sop and the old man. Facing a slab of old wood laying on the floor, used as a makeshift table, they sat on silk cushions that glowed with the colors of the cave. The square bowls, from which they ate a cold soup, appeared to be made out of the same old tree from which the table was created. Had it not been for the royals eager appetites, they would have been concerned for their health due to the occasional specks of mold.

The entire time of which they rested and ate, hardly a word was uttered between them, except for Leo and Sop's story. Might they not have experienced their own unbelievable pasts, the likelyhood of prosecuted blasphemy and presumed magical usages from the characters before them, would have resulted in Merida making a harsh judgement call, of which Hiccup would not intervene. However, since they did have practiced ears to hear, though they were very confused, the duo was put at ease by the historical tale. Both of them knew that the problem was more fearsome than firstly believed, building up a completely different issue. But for the moment, these new aquaintences were of little harm to them.

"I do have a one question for you," Hiccup asserted, lifting a finger.

Leo nodded.

"If you are not a warlock, than how did you use magic to trap Toothless in that jar?" he asked. Toothless huffed behind him in agreement to his question. For Merida, it was still unsettling to be near an actual dragon, and Toothless' natural understanding and communication with Hiccup was even more so.

"Yes, and WHY did you do that?" Merida added, staring behind her shoulder at Toothless, not the elder to whom she spoke. Both herself and the dragon tilted their heads quizzitively to the side in unison, familiarizing each other.

Leo nodded again, answering, "That Witch gives me magical tools to collect more and more weird stuff for her. If I don't give her things that I should, well, not good things happen, man." He coughed.