Archive of Our Own

Work Text

Eugene Fitzherbert was always the storyteller at the orphanage. Every night, the younger kids would gather around his bedside, waiting for a new story to lull them to sleep. Usually, he would stick to the Flynnagan Rider stories; they were easy enough to tell and always a hit. But sometimes, one of them would ask him about the Guardians."Of course you know the Guardians! You've known them since before you can remember…"  Flynn Rider nearly froze as the memory came back, not even considering that the kingdom's most advanced guard was right on his tail. Where had that memory come from, anyway?He shook it off as he ran. "All the things we've see today, and it's only eight in the morning! Gentlemen, this is going to be a very big day!" 
Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons: Not Yet Legends

A Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled and How to Train Your Dragon crossover fanfiction

By the Poor Sap Advocate
 Chapter 1: Guardians UniteIf someone were to ask who Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was a month ago, they probably would have received an answer along the lines of "the literal hiccup of all of Berk!" Among other things one can't say in polite company.If someone were to ask who Hiccup was yesterday, they probably would have received an answer along the lines of "one of the most promising Vikings in Berk!" And, as a follow-up, "And it only took him proper dragon training to do it!"But if you were to ask Hiccup, right here, right now, who he was, he would probably answer-"Leaving.""Leaving?" Astrid repeated. "Hiccup, you can't just leave. Your final exam is tomorrow!""Thank you for reminding me on that." Hiccup muttered.Usually, the night sky of Berk was beautiful. Tonight's sky was clear, always a welcome sight, providing them with an uninterrupted view of the village. The only lights came from the moon and from lanterns below, letting the village light up like a beacon. If one really wanted to try, they could probably make out every building.Hiccup usually did try to appreciate the sights below him. Regardless of whether or not he thought it was a good thing now, he might be one of the only people not being dragged off to their death that could see such a sight. Right now, there were too many other things going around him that divided his attention. For example, his longtime crush and only now kind-of friend had her arms wrapped around his waist. Admittedly, that was mostly for her protection.He was also dealing with the feeling of his heart sinking into his stomach."Hiccup," Astrid sighed. "You can't just leave. What would your dad think? What would the whole village think?""They'd probably make up some grand, heroic story." said Hiccup. "Maybe Gobber will figure out I was taken by the Sock Goblins. Certainly more heroic than this."He didn't want to leave Berk. Really, he didn't! But he couldn't kill a dragon more.No matter what he did, he would actual be the literal hiccup in Berk."I can take care of myself." Hiccup said. And that was true. Vikings were trained to kill dragons, but everyone in Berk was trained to survive in harsh conditions for extended periods of time. He had packed some supplies and maps he had taken from his father, the small ones that he probably wouldn't even notice were missing. He also still had his helmet, but it didn't feel quite right wearing it right now.Astrid fell silent again. He could feel her grip around his waist lessen, and he wondered if he did something to trigger that instead of her just getting used to flying.They landed back in the clearing. As usual, there was no sign of human life,. This time the entire forest felt a bit more silent. The only light came from the stars and the moon above.Hiccup was the first to get off of Toothless' saddle, being the only one of them that had any experience with it. He offered Astrid his hand for assistance, and was only somewhat surprised when she actually took it.Once she was off, she punched him in the stomach."That's for lying to me!" Astrid hissed.Hiccup doubled over. The wind had been knocked out of him. It took him for a minute to regain his vision. He could feel himself being pulled back up by his hair, and then something soft against his cheek."And that's for everything else." Astrid said. She sounded unnaturally soft.That took more air out of him. Hiccup took a minute to regain himself. If he was happy that Astrid finally kissed him, he didn't feel it. He nearly collapsed onto Toothless, and could only watch dumbly as he watched Astrid walk off into the darkness. Back home. When she was nothing more but a dot in the distance, he finally regained his energy enough to wave goodbye. Of course, she didn't see it.If someone were to ask Hiccup what he really was, they would receive an answer along the lines of "Not a dragon killer. Not a Viking."Merida buried her head in Angus' neck as they rode, letting the tears flow freely. That…that monster! Merida hadn't meant to break the tapestry, but that witch certainly meant to burn her bow! She certainly meant to marry her off like that, without even getting to choose herself! All the things that she had done came rushing back, causing Merida to cry even more.She didn't realize where they were running off to. She just knew that she couldn't go back there again. Ever.It only occurred to her to at least look where they were riding off too when small twigs began snapping at her hair. She tried to regain control of Angus, at least to slow him down, which earned her being tossed forward.In her emotionally-charged state, it took Merida a minute to regain her thoughts and get back up. Once she did, however, all traces of anger and sadness left her, being quickly replaced with wonder. She was in the middle of a menhir, formed by stones perfectly measured and placed and reaching high into the sky. It was certainly impressive, but that wasn't the part she was focused on. She was instead focused on a small, blue light floating just outside of the ring."A wisp…" Merida breathed. Her mo-She knew about the wisps. She had even seen one before, when she was much younger, even if her father didn't believe her. She approached it slowly, gently reaching out. It disappeared in her touch. Before Merida could even blink, another appeared, and another, and another, forming a small chain down the forest.Wisps could change one's fate, and that's what Merida needed right now.She called after Angus, but the horse remained in his stop at the opposite side of the menhir. Merida rolled her eyes. Leave it to a horse to be so spooked.It felt like forever as she followed the wisps, though she chalked it up to the fact that she was moving through very thick, uneven forest paths in a dress that was nearly torn to shreds. Finally, she appeared at what was the end of the path, where two wisps waited on either side.One side lead to a small, hidden cottage. The other went on through the forest.Merida had never heard of wisps leading people to two different things before…She decided to go with the obvious one first, and followed the wisp to the cottage.Faking an air of confidence she wasn't sure she had, she knocked. No answer. She tried opening the door. Locked. Merida sighed. "Now why would they lead me here…?"Oh well. There was still the other path.Jack played with the matryoska doll between his fingers, contemplating what North had said. A center. He sighed and stuffed the doll into his jacket pocket. He didn't have a center. He didn't have anything, He was just…Jack.North had already run off to whatever business he had to do around here, leaving Jack alone. Well, except for Phil (who was giving him dirty looks every so often) and the elves (who certainly weren't paying attention). So long as he was here, it couldn't hurt to look around. He turned, coming face to face with...at first glance, Jack thought it was a flame. But flames generally weren't blue. Or floating. Or calling softly out to him and smiling. He took a step forward, and it vanished, only for another one to appear about a foot away.Jack glanced over his shoulder. Phil was caught up on something, no longer paying attention to the Winter Spirit. Now was his chance.He followed the small flames as they lead him farther and farther down the hall, finally stopping at a room with a large, wooden door. Jack quickly sneaked inside. It was a small room, with thousands of snow-globes filling the walls. "So this is where he keeps all of the snow-globes…" He thought aloud, glancing over each of them.Different images swirled in each of them. Different houses in different towns. They shifted every so often, trying to settle on a location. His eyes fell on one specific one. Unlike the others, it didn't have snow swirling around it, and its location seemed set. Jack picked it up and held it a bit closer to inspect it. It looked like it wanted to lead to some kind of tower, but he couldn't quite make it out...In a flash of blue light, Jack Frost was gone."Rapuzel!" Mother's voice sang out from below. "Let down your hair!"Rapunzel tensed. This was it! This was finally the day where she would ask! "Coming, mother!" she called. Quickly, she hid Pascal on the wall and dashed over to the window. She attached her hair up on the hook and let the rest of it fall. Once Mother had gotten secure, she started pulling. It might be a pain to have to pull Mother in every day, but it was worth it!"Ah Rapunzel," Mother said as she came inside. "I don't know how you manage to do that every day!""Oh," Rapunzel's response came out in pants. "It's nothing…""Then I don't know why it takes you so long! Oh, Mother's only teasing, dear!"Rapunzel took a minute to catch her breath and her thoughts. Mother was in a good mood, at least. She could work with this! "So Mother-""Rapunzel, Mother isn't feeling too well. Could you sing for me, dear?"Rapunzel sighed. She could work with this too! Quickly, she assembled the chair, brush and stool, and took her seat. "Flowergleamandglow, letyourpowershine, maketheclockreverse, bringbackwhatoncewasmine!"Mother was scrambling to get hair in her hands, but Rapunzel didn't care. This was her moment! "So Mother, I tried asking earlier if you know what tomorrow is, and you didn't really respond, so I'm just going to tell you. It's my birthday!"Mother considered this, finally clicking her tongue. "Nuh-uh. I remember, your birthday was last year!"Rapunzel gave half a laugh. "Well, that's the thing about birthdays. They're kind of…every year…But what I really want this year…what I've really wanted my whole life…""Rapunzel, you really need to stop with the mumbling." Mother cut in. Before Rapunzel could respond, her cheek was being pinched. "I'm just teasing again! You really need to lighten up."Rapunzel sighed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Pascal encouraging her. Right. She needed to do this."I want to see the floating lights!"Mother froze."Sorry?""I mean, I want you to take me to see the floating lights." Rapunzel tried again, slightly calmer. She was trying hard to hide her excitement.Mother paused, finally turning back. "You mean the stars?""No!" With a handful of hair, she gestured to her star charts. "Stars are pretty constant! These only appear on my birthday! And…I think they're meant for me…I need to see just what they are."Mother hesitated. It probably felt a long longer than it took for Mother to turn back around. "You want to go outside? Why Rapunzel…" With one fluid movement Rapunzel didn't even catch, the window shut. Mother crossed the room. "You know there's a reason why we don't go outside…""I know, but..." All the lights shut off, leaving Rapunzel in darkness.She scrambled for a match and candlestick. It didn't light up much, but it helped.Mother's voice came from the darkness: "RUFFIANS! THIEVES! CANNIBALS! THE PLAGUE!" Rapunzel scrambled around, looking for the source of the voice. "BUGS! MEN WITH POINTY TEETH!"The lights flickered back on. "And stop there, you'll just upset me!"Rapunzel sprinted into Mother's arms. Safe. No bugs, no men…Mother pulled back, her face now gravely dangerous. "Rapunzel? Never ask me to leave this tower again."Rapunzel sighed. She was right though. Outside was just…too dangerous. "Alright."Mother's face lightened. "I love you.""I love you more." Rapunzel recited dutifully."I love you most!" Mother patted her head.Wrestling with one of the Royal Guard's horses for the Tiara of the Lost Princess on a branch hanging off a very high cliff was not how Flynn was expecting this to go down.But hey, he was adaptable.He caught the satchel by the straps as it began to slip. There we go. That was properly daring enough. "HA!" He held it up for the fleabag to see.
SNAP!
"Oh…"They fell.Flynn Rider. Renowned thief. Lady-killer extraordinaire. Definitely not afraid of heights. But when he was falling very rapidly from them…He should've known better, but he looked down. And he screamed.It wasn't the forest floor he collided with. In fact, it was some sort of saddle. He peeled his face off of leather, and tried to see what it was attached to.A lizard. A very big lizard.Said lizard proceeded to freak out once he realized that Flynn was on-board. It dove down, causing Flynn to be tossed forward upon impact. The more positive back of his mind reminded him that it was a much easier fall, but he quickly silenced it."No, no, no Toothless, it's okay…" A new voice spoke. Another figure disembarked from the saddle, trying desperately to calm the lizard down. Flynn glanced him over. He might have been older based on how low his voice was, but in terms of build he barely passed for twelve. Shaggy brown hair framed his face, freckles dotted the rest of it, and big, brown eyes flushed with worry. Once the lizard was properly calmed down, the brown eyes met his. "You okay there?"Flynn reached for the satchel. Still there. Didn't feel like it was in two pieces. He was fine. "Yeah, fine.""Good. …You gonna explain what you were doing on an unstable ledge, anyway?""Hey, kid, I happen to like the view!"The guards were still probably around here. He needed a place to lie low for a bit. He glanced around. Not much...save for the floating blue light there.Flynn froze as he saw it. It stared right back at him, flickering in a way he might have described as waving if he had a better eye and he wasn't crazy, and calling out in soft tones his ears just barely reached.Even the kid and the lizard were staring. "A will-o-wisps….My dad told me about these. They're supposed to lead people to lost treasure.""Hedidit!" Flynn tossed the satchel and pointed at the kid.The kid tried to stutter out a response, but Flynn wasn't paying attention anymore. Another light had appeared behind the other, and another, and more and more until they formed a chain. Were they supposed to be leading him to the treasure?Hey, Flynn wouldn't object. "Come on, kid. Let's go take a look." He snatched the satchel back and followed the wisp.The kid and his lizard were following, complaining the whole way about how stupid this whole thing was, but Flynn politely didn't care. The wisps lead on, through the forest and eventually stopping at a vine-covered wall. Flynn brushed them aside, only mildly surprised when the vines were only blocking out a small cave. A whinny alerted him to the fact that the guards were still looking. Well, hey, if this treasure thing didn't work out, he could at least hide here.He stepped inside, and was greeted with a girly shriek and a punch.Flynn stumbled back and clutched his face. "Jah!" That one was going to hurt the Smoulder. He saw his attacker…another kid, and this time a girl kid. She at least looked her age, another teenager with long, curly red hair and wearing a dress that was nearly ripped to shreds.The girl panted. "Don' sneak up oon me like tha'!" She scolded in a thick Scottish accent he had to strain to understand."We didn't mean to sneak up on you!" The kid protested, holding his hands up in a self-defense position. "We were just…passing through."The girl rolled her eyes. "Weel, soo was I…" She glanced around, her eyes falling on the next Wisp. "There ye are…" Without so much as a glance in their direction, she began following it. Flynn scrambled back into action. He wasn't going to let this Scottish chick get his treasure, after all! He stumbled out of the cave, glancing around at the scene.The cave opened up to a large forest clearing. Picturesque, he thought. Perfectly green trees and shrubbery, right at the base of the mountain and the river, and the perfect view of a small waterfall doing down the mountain. The most notable feature of it, however, was the very large tower that stood at the very center.It had to be abandoned. It had to be. Really, he liked the view and all, but nobody would be crazy enough to live here! It would be a good place to hide out, however, and that was what Flynn was interested in.He raced up towards the tower. No rope, no ladder…he would have to climb, then. He grabbed two arrows and placed them into the side of the tower. Surprisingly, they held, and more importantly, they could hold him as he climbed.It took him ten minutes to climb. The two other kids were already at the top, waiting on the giant lizard."One of the benefits of having a flying dragon…" The kid said casually, while the girl laughed.Flynn did his best to ignore them and scrambled inside. The kids quickly followed."So, who do you think lives here?" The kid asked, the fact that it was just small talk noticeable even to him."What? Come on, this place is abandoned.""I dunno…" The girl spoke. "It looks rather…lived in, don'cha think?""Carrot Top…" Flynn rolled his eyes at her. "There's nobody here but you, me, him, the lizard and…"
CLANG!
There was a flash of blue light, and Flynn felt a smack on his head and then sweet oblivion. Rapunzel yelped back and scrambled to hide.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 2: That's When Your Life BeginsRapunzel slid the chair in front of the cabinet and held her frying pan out like a weapon. "Okay, okay, okayokayokay…" She stammered, trying to recollect herself. She couldn't freak out now; she had people in her closet."I have people in my closet." The realization hit her. "I have people in my closet!"Too weak to handle herself out there, now? If she could deal with a threat in the Tower itself, she could probably handle the outside. And since they're still here, she could show them to Mother! Then she'd have to let Rapunzel go!Rapunzel's thoughts were diverted as she saw the objects the travelers had left on the ground. A glass globe, cracked from when it dropped. Sparkles swirled through it freely, as if they were dancing on air. A long branch, taller than Rapunzel, that rose up and formed a hook…some sort of weapon? Rapunzel attempted to grab it, but it felt like ice on her fingers. She decided to let it be for now. A metal hat, with large horns of the top of it. Rapunzel scrunched her nose at that. Wouldn't it just make it easier for people to grab you? A small brown satchel with an object inside. Rapunzel reached inside, and scrunched her nose as she studied it. It was some sort of accessory, sure, but too big to be a bracelet. Gently, she placed it on her head. A hat then? It didn't seem to be doing much, but maybe it was something that would only work outside…"Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"Mother was back already? Rapunzel tossed the objects into a nearby pot. She could investigate them later. Right now, she had to prove herself to Mother."I have quite the surprise for you!" Mother called as Rapunzel worked."I do too!" Rapunzel replied."I bet mine's bigger!""I seriously doubt it…" She mumbled, and with one last tug she pulled Mother up."Parsnips!" Mother said, holding out a basket. "I'm making Hazelnut Soup for dinner tonight!"Rapunzel's lack of enthusiasm on that must have shown on her face, because Mother sighed. "Oh Rapunzel, you know how I feel about leaving after a fight. Especially when I've done nothing wrong.""I know, but I have something really important to show you!""Does it have to do with the stars, again?""Floating Lights! And I'm leading up to that.""Because I really thought we'd dropped the issue, sweetheart.""Yes, but if you'd let me explain-""I really don't want to talk about this anymore, dear…"Rapunzel decided to keep going. Going around like that wasn't getting either of them anywhere. "I know you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there—""Dear, I know you're not,""But if you'd let me show you—""How many more times do I have to explain it!? YOU ARE NOT LEAVING THIS TOWER! EVER!"The Tower fell deadly silent. Rapunzel froze. Mother almost never raised her voice like that, and the only times she really did had been when she was little and a handful. Mother was serious about this, then. Rapunzel's hand inched away from the cabinet.Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the painting of the Floating Lights. She can't give up on her dream that easily!"Great, now I'm the bad guy." Mother sighed and collapsed in the chair, a hand pinching the bridge of her nose."I just wanted to say…I know what I want for my birthday now." No response came, so Rapunzel decided to continue. "New paint…from those white shells you got me once."Mother sighed. "Dear, that's a very long trip. Three days, tops.""I know. I just thought…it would be better than the…stars."The words felt bitter on Rapunzel's mouth. But for better or for worse now, Mother was sealed. She stood and hugged Rapunzel. "You're sure you'll be able to handle yourself for that long?""I know I'm safe as long as I'm here." Rapunzel replied dutifully, but her mind was elsewhere. It was on the people she had in her closet…Flynn woke up to a sudden wet sensation in his ear. He scrambled to inspect it, but his hands wouldn't move. He glanced down. He had been tied down with a rope. No…"Is this…" He started as he glanced around the room. From where the rope had wrapped around him it continued, spreading across the room haphazardly."Hair?" The kid finished for him. Flynn tried to glance over his shoulder. So the Kid was here too, tied next to him. So was Carrot Top. He strained his neck over, trying to see past his shoulder if anyone else was with them."Struggling…" A new voice spoke. Flynn traced it back to where the hair started, hidden in the shadows. It was very clear that the source was trying to be brave, and failing miserably. "Struggling is useless.""What." Was all Flynn could manage.The source of the voice came out of the shadows. It was a girl, probably no older than him, dressed in a long purple dress and holding a frying pan out like it was a sword. Her bright green eyes were wide with fear, and the blonde hair that wasn't tied around them or hanging loose on the floor framed her nicely. "Who are you, and how do you know my location?""Uh huh…" The kid responded. He was obviously just as shocked as Flynn was. Carrot Top, on the other hand, was trying to get a good look over Flynn's shoulder."Who are you, and how do you know my location?" She tried again, an extra hint of malice in her tone.Flynn cleared his throat. He could handle just one scared girl. He wasn't Flynn Rider: Master Thief and Lady-Killer Extraordinaire for nothing. "I know not who you are, nor not how I came to find you. But may I just say…hey. The name's Flynn Rider."Blondie's eyebrows formed slight creases in confusion. Next to him, Carrot Top tried to hold back a laugh."Good job there Casanova." The kid laughed.Blondie held the frying pan closer to his face. "Who else knows my location, Flynn Rider?""Listen, Blondie—" He started."Rapunzel!" She said sternly."…Gesundheit. We aren't here to trouble you. We were just gallivanting through the forest, following the Wisps, and we…wait…" Flynn started looking around. Only Carrot Top mustered a slight "wotch it!" as they shook, and Flynn was hardly paying attention at that point. "Where is it!? Where's—""Your satchel? Or was it the staff or the helmet?" Blondie asked, smirking just slightly. "Either way, I've hidden them all. Somewhere where you'll never find them."Flynn glanced over. "It's in that pot over there, isn't it?"Blondie blinked, and swung the frying pan again.The pile spun forward, and now Hiccup was facing Rapunzel. "So what exactly are you planning on doing with my hair?" She asked. "Cut it? Sell it?!""No!" Hiccup protested. "The only thing I want to do with your hair is get out of it!"Rapunzel loosened up slightly. "You…don't want my hair?""Why would we even won' ye hair?" The red-headed girl replied."Well, there's certainly enough of it…" The boy next to him responded.Flynn jerked awake. "Stop doing that!" He shouted.Rapunzel turned away, taking the small chameleon with her. Hiccup couldn't hear the specifics (especially because one of them wasn't even speaking, so much as making clicking noises), but he could tell the two were arguing. It seemed Rapunzel won out and she turned back. "Alright then, I'm prepared to offer you a deal."She turned to a painting over a fireplace, spinning the pile as she did. "Do you know what these are?"Hiccup studied the painting. It depicted what looked like Rapunzel with her very long hair, staring out at the night sky as lights filled it."The lantern thing they do for the princess every year?" Flynn asked."Lanterns! I knew they weren't stars!" It was a brief break in her stoic demeanor, but Rapunzel recovered quickly. "Tomorrow night, they will fill the night sky. You four are going to act as my guide, take me there, and escort me back safely. Only then will I give you back your stuff.""Wait, four?" The pile spun around so the man next to Hiccup could confront Rapunzel. "…You can actually see me?""Weel of course we can see ye!" The red-headed girl spoke up. "Why wouldnae we be able ta?""I…" The man seemed shocked. He glanced around wildly, as if he were looking for proof that they could see him."There's nothin' ye can offer me." The little red-headed girl said. "I didnae bring anything with me."Rapunzel's eyes widened, making her resemble a kicked puppy. Hiccup would have felt bad for her if he wasn't wrapped up in her hair. "Then maybe..." Rapunzel seemed to think about this. "How about I offer you a new dress?""I don'-" The red-head stopped herself as she realized that she did need a new dress. She huffed and fell silent.The pile spun around again so Flynn could face her."No can do, Blondie…" Flynn said. "The kingdom and I aren't exactly on speaking terms, so…""And I've dinnae know this kingdom." The red-head said. "I was jus' passin' through!""So was I!"Rapunzel sighed. With a quick yank of her hair, the pile was pushed forward. "Listen. Something brought you here. Call it what you will; fate, destiny…""A horse." Flynn sighed."An idiot." Hiccup chorused."The wisps." The red-head added."A snowglobe…" The man said."But I've decided to trust you because of it.""You really shouldn't." Flynn said."I'll vouch for that." Hiccup added."But trust me when I tell you this." The pile lurched forward, and now Hiccup could just barely stand up. Flynn was nose to nose with Rapunzel. "You will never find that satchel of yours without my help.""So…I I take you to see the lanterns, you'll give me back my satchel.""I promise." A pause. "And when I promise something, I never, ever break it."Another pause."Alright Blondie, I didn't want to do this. Here comes the Smoulder."Hiccup glanced over. Flynn was making puppy dog eyes at her. To her credit, Rapunzel wasn't breaking, and still focused on him with a narrow glare.After a few minutes, Flynn sighed. "It's been a bit of a bad day for the Smoulder."The boys were the first ones out of the Tower. Flynn had insisted on climbing down the way he did before, saying something about not trusting lizards, so Hiccup called to Toothless and floated down safely.Strangely, the other kid was already down there. Hiccup supposed he might have jumped, but nobody would be that stupid.This was the first time Hiccup really got a good at him. He was lean and tall, but unlike Hiccup he wasn't awkward with it. Nearly white hair (and if Hiccup didn't know any better, he would say it was all white) that sat unkempt and nearly vertical on his head, dressed very casually in a pair of brown pants that stopped at his calf and a blue sweatshirt, no shoes, bright blue eyes that were gazing around with wonder…and then narrowed at Hiccup in confusion.Hiccup stopped staring. "Sorry, sorry, I just didn't really get to see you before.""No problem." He said casually. "I'm just not…very used to people seeing me."You could say that again, Hiccup thought. What kind of person doesn't even recognize that people could see him? "I'm Hiccup."The man studied him carefully. The blue eyes lit up with something Hiccup couldn't quite place, but something that made him rather scared. "Jack Frost." He greeted. Clearly he was expecting a better reaction than the one Hiccup gave him. Even if Hiccup did have a reaction, it was lost Flynn jumped down and joined them."So, what did Blondie take from you?" He asked, clearly upset by these turns of events."My helmet." Hiccup sighed."My staff." Jack added. "And I suppose a snowglobe, but it wasn't really mine to begin with…"Flynn scoffed. "What's the big deal about a stick and a helmet!?""What's the big deal about a satchel!?" Jack argued back.Flynn didn't respond. Instead, all of their attention was being turned to Merida, who was gently being lowered to the ground on Rapunzel's hair. She didn't seem too upset by these turns of events, and offered them a wide grin when she hit the ground. She stepped back just a bit, and then Rapunzel came down, sliding on her own hair. She stopped just as she would have hit the ground. Hesitantly, she put one foot down, then the other…Rapunzel ran off.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"I can't believe I did this!" Rapunzel exclaimed to the open forest.Then, a bit more seriously, "I can't believe I did this."Then, shouting again. "I can't believe I did this!"And once again serious, "Mother would be so furious.""Well, that's okay. What Mother knows won't kill her." She said, to which Toothless nodded."Oh my Gosh, this would kill her!""THIS IS SO FUUUUUN!""I am a terrible daughter. I have to go back.""I AM NEVER GOING BACK!""I am a despicable human being!""BEST! DAY! EVER!"And finally, Rapunzel collapsed against Toothless, sobbing quietly to herself.Flynn approached her for the first time since she had started, clearing his throat. "I think I speak for all of us when I say, it seems you're a bit at war with yourself."Though her head was buried in her hands, Rapunzel managed a nod."And I'm only picking up bits and pieces here. Forbidden road-trip, overbearing mother… but this is pretty serious! But let me ease your conscious: this is all part of growing up."Rapunzel finally looked up out of her hands. "Really?" She asked quietly."Of course! You're way over thinking this! Does your mother deserve this? Probably not. Would it break her heart? Most definitely. But—""Oi!" Merida rose and stormed up to Flynn, faces inches apart. "Now who's sayin' tha' this would be bad for her?""Nothing! Nobody is!" Flynn backed up and held up his hands in the universal defense position. "I'm just giving her a chance to get back her mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust!""But isnae this all part of growin' up?!" Merida responded back. "Ye said it yerself!""Yes, but if Blondie here is really all that worried about horribly betraying her own dear sweet mother—""Well, who said that her mother dinae deserve this!?""HEY NOW!" Hiccup rose. All heads turned towards him. "We're all a bit heated up here. Now let's just calm down, and…I dunno…get some food before we set out?"The four stilled stared at Hiccup. It was rather amusing to see just how quickly he folded back into himself and sat down, desperate to avoid any conflict. Merida rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. It reminded her too much of the other tribe boys; all talk, no backbone. Still, her growling stomach betrayed her on this one."Kid's right." Flynn said. "And I happen to know one of the best restaurants just across the way. Real five-star joint, you'll know it when you smell it."Flynn kicked the door open. "GASTON! Your finest table, please!"All the heads in the restaurant turned to them. Which was pretty bad, because they all looked like the ruffians, thugs and thieves that Rapunzel was trying so hard to avoid."Remind me to never ask you what 'five-star' means." Jack said as he glanced around. He generally stayed away from restaurants, since he didn't really need to eat, but he could easily tell that this was less 'five-star restaurant' and more 'bar you hid out in to stay away from cops'.Flynn ushered them along, all the way talking about how good a place this was. Rapunzel was nearly terrified, and was collecting her hair with one hand while holding the frying pan out with the other. Merida was putting on a tough face and trying to look intimidating. Hiccup, however…well, he didn't exactly look comfortable, but he didn't look like he was scared by any of this. Jack was very much aware that all of the patrons' attention was still turned to them, and he followed Hiccup to the bar."Do you have anything that isn't alcoholic and won't make me sick to my stomach?" Hiccup asked. Jack was surprised; there still wasn't any indicator that Hiccup was just masking his fear.The bartender tossed down Hiccup a glass of water. It looked dirty, though Jack couldn't tell if it was the glass or the water."Great. Thanks." Hiccup sighed."Hey, one for me too?" Jack asked, but he was ignored. He glanced around again. The occupants were looking at Flynn, who was talking casually with a man who certainly wasn't enjoying his company (and was that blood in his mustache?), Merida and Rapunzel, who were trying to find a safe place to settle down, and Hiccup, who certainly was acting like he knew the place or one like it. None on Jack.So were they the only ones that could see him? But Hiccup didn't seem to recognize his name, and none of them seemed to either.Where had that snowglobe taken him, anyway?"Well that was rude." Hiccup said, pulling Jack out of his thoughts."Nah, I'm used to it." Jack shrugged."Still, let me just—" Hiccup was cut off as the door slammed shut. Jack rose a bit of his chair to overlook the crowd, and wished that he still had his staff on him."Is this you?" One of the ruffians asked. Jack could just barely make out a Wanted poster of Flynn and another one that seemed mostly curly hair. His eyes darted over to Merida, who was still holding onto most of Rapunzel's hair and didn't seem to be noticing what was going on."Well, now they're just being condescending." Jack didn't think this was much of an answer, but the thugs did. Once Flynn said it, chaos broke out as each thug tried to claim Flynn as their own.Jack started to think fast. He didn't have his staff, which was always a problem, but he didn't know how much magic he could do without it. He probably couldn't turn this place into an ice rink on the fly, but if he had something with him...Jack turned back to Hiccup. "Give me your water." He demanded.Hiccup slid it down to him, with only a slight "Why?" of protest. Jack didn't respond, and held the glass up to eye level. He tried to ignore that his sigh was one of relief as the water turned white and powdery. Quickly, he emptied the contents into his hands and molded it into a snowball. As soon as he got an opening, he tossed it directly into one of the thugs' face.Everything stopped. All the thugs turned to him…or rather, Hiccup. "He did it!" Hiccup protested and pointed at Jack. Jack held back a laugh.Rapunzel took this as her chance. "Listen, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming of it my entire life. Don't you all have dreams?! Find your humanity!"It was silent. The one Jack hit let go of Flynn and withdrew his ax. The one that was still holding onto Flynn, whose face was obscured by a large helmet, carefully put Flynn on a coat-rack. The thug walked closer and closer to Rapunzel, nearly backing her up into a wall. Merida tried to rush forward, as if she could do anything, but stopped once the thug spoke."I had a dream…once…"The ax was tossed over the head of a nearby accordion player, who quickly started playing.Strange things were happening at the Snuggly Ducking. Gothel usually tried to avoid that bar when she could; even ignoring the company, the same type she would scare Rapunzel with when she had to tell her to forget about the outside world, they couldn't mix a good cocktail to save her life. Still, when she heard the uncharacteristically chipper music pouring out, she had to take a look.She drew her hood up closer and poked her head through the window. She froze, barely processing the scene in front of her. Singing and dancing was definitely something that never happened at the Snuggly Ducking...Then she saw 70 feet of golden hair.Her blood nearly boiled. Of course! She should have known better than to think that Rapunzel could just drop something like that! Of course she snuck out, and of course she had to go and ruin everything!Gothel was ready to storm in there herself when she saw more hair. Not as gold as the sun and flowing as a river like Rapunzel's was, but a bright copper color and in a mesh of ringlets. It might have actually been rather pretty had she bothered to style it better. Even with that, Gothel was smart enough to realize that that hair also didn't belong in a place like that.But there was a place where it did belong. And Gothel had seen it rather recently...She glanced around, trying to put where she had seen it last. A piece of paper grabbed her attention. That was it. They were on Missing signs in the forest. Gothel hadn't payed much attention to them at the time; so long as it wasn't Rapunzel who went missing, she didn't quite care. She walked towards the tree, determined to get a better look this time.No. That still wasn't it. This was of a man, older than either the girl or Rapunzel but not but a whole lot, and by the looks of it with a rather unfortunate nose that reminded Gothel a lot of her sister. Unlike the poster before, this was labeled with WANTED.Gothel ripped the sign off the trunk. It wouldn't be missed; he had to have done something big to be so hunted throughout the kingdom. She went black towards the window, holding up the poster as reference.There. There he was, currently dancing on the bar like he was an idiot but also mortified of the consequences if he stopped. Flynn Rider, Gothel read.He had to have some enemies that would want to get back at him. And if the way they were hanging onto each other now were any indication, he had to know at least something about her disappearance.And if he didn't, then she could at least claim the reward money."WHERE DID HE GO!?" North demanded.No answer came. North nearly slapped himself in stupidity. Of course there would be no answer; he was asking the elves for an intelligence report! He groaned as he stormed down the halls, stopping nearly all the activity around him. This was not the time for this! There was an emergency at the Tooth Palace, and he was missing a Guardian who didn't even know his center!The door to the Snowglobe Room was open. North sighed. Well, now he could be anywhere! He ran in and scanned over the shelves quickly. None of them seemed to be missing…except…"Oh dear." He said aloud."What?" Bunny asked from behind him."Well…Imayhavebeenexperimentingwithtransdimensiontravelthroughsnowglobes, and Jackmayhavedecidedtotakejustthatone." He said quickly.There was a pause. "Sorry, mate, you're gonna havta repeat that one."The door slammed open once again. "I found the guards!" He announced.Unfortunately, he hadn't been there for when the thugs were decided to let them go.All the festivities stopped. Hiccup downed his drink and stood. "Well, as fun as this has been, we'd better get going…" He started, before he was dragged down, under a table where the rest of his group hid.Hiccup waited patiently as the footsteps around the table grew and shrank steadily. "Tear this place apart if you have to." One of the guards, probably the captain or the like, ordered. "The Princess and the Viking we can forget; Rider's our focus."Flynn gulped.A hook cut across Hiccup's vision. He glanced up to the one owning it. The thug-pianist, gestured over his shoulder with his eyes, and Hiccup could barely see a door behind him. Well, if the last five minutes had taught him anything, it's that these guys were mostly harmless. He took his chances.The five were lead back behind the bar. Hook pulled down on one of the taps, causing the floor to slink slightly. A door opened, and while the inside of it was still too dimly lit, Hiccup could just make out that it was an underground passage. He frowned. Toothless was still waiting for him outside, and he wouldn't know if he had sneaked off...He felt bad about it, but the only plan right now was that he had to go back and find him later. Even without a working tailfin, Toothless could handle himself."Go. Live your dreams." Hook said."Thanks. I will." Flynn nodded."Your dream stinks. I was talkin' to her."They waited until they were positive they wouldn't be heard before they began speaking again. "So, uh…Merida?" Jack asked."Yeah?""I don't mean to pry if it's personal, but you wouldn't have done anything that would have cause you to be wanted by the guard?"Merida stopped, stunned. She glanced down at the floor slightly as she thought, the wheels in her head spinning. "No' that I know of…why?""Well, let's just say, you were. You too, Hiccup.""What?" Hiccup nearly froze. "Why?""Dunno. Didn't say. If it makes you feel any better, it did specify they want you alive." Jack said casually, inspecting his fingernails as he walked. "More than Rider can say.""If you ask me, kid, it has something to do with the giant, fire-breathing lizard." Flynn remarked dryly."Dragon, and…" Hiccup trailed off. Maybe Flynn had a point, if not for the reasons he was thinking. Could the village be looking for him? No, he only left a few days ago! They wouldn't have tried to look in other kingdoms just yet.Hiccup's thoughts were cut off by the sound of approaching footsteps. He glanced behind him, where a light was growing. "RIDER!""Run!" Flynn exclaimed. Rapunzel gathered up as much hair as she could, Merida took the rest, and the five ran off.Toothless, being too big to enter the Snuggly Duckling, was taking a small nap outside.Was. He was rather awake now.It had started when the guards arrived. At first, they had simply jostled him out of his sleep. It was only when they had entered the bar when Toothless began to worry.He couldn't speak himself, but he could definitely understand the word "Viking". He could understand that Hiccup was probably the only person within miles that fit that description. And most certainly, whatever the angry looking guards wanted with him couldn't be good news.He circled around the building, trying to get as good a glimpse through the windows as to what was inside. He couldn't see a whole lot, but he saw enough to know that Hiccup, nor any of the others, were in there.That's when he heard a scream.Toothless' head shot towards the source almost involuntarily. The jerk that jumped on him earlier. That was him. Wherever he was, he had to know where Hiccup was.He kicked up his wings, earning a gasp from passer-bys, fully prepared to speed off. He stopped once he took his tail-fin into account. Without Hiccup to steer him, he would crash easily, and that would be somewhat counter productive.He would just have to walk.Merida glanced around. She saw that they were in a small canyon, with a dam nearby, but that wasn't what she was focusing on. She sought out the next cave, just across the canyon.And then she saw the two thugs walking out of the other cave entrance. "Who are they?" She asked."Let's just say they don't like me." Flynn answered."And they are?" Jack gestured to the guards, who were already catching up."They don't like me either!"A whinny echoed through the cave behind them. Merida turned her head. Now with the guards was a very large white stallion, who was sending them death glares."And he is?" Hiccup asked.Flynn pushed them all a little more forward. "Let's just assume no one here likes me!"Rapunzel sighed. With one hand, she yanked the hair out of Merida's arms; with the other, she shoved her frying pan into Hiccup's arms. Expertly, she tossed her hair over the canyon, where it wrapped tightly around a beam. With her spare arm, she grabbed Jack, held him close, and swung over to the other side.Leaving Merida, Hiccup and Flynn to face the approaching guards. "I've waited a long time for this Rider," One of the guards spoke as he approached them.Hiccup acted on instinct. With one swing of the frying pan, he managed to knock him unconscious. Merida scrambled for his sword. Sure, swords weren't her main weapon, but she could manage with them. She followed Hiccup's lead, disarming what guards she could while he smacked them in the head.Once all the guards were under, Merida glanced up. Flynn was staring at them in disbelief. "I have got to get me one of those!" He exclaimed.A loud grabbed their attention again. The horse was staring them down, a sword clenched in his teeth. Merida didn't have nearly enough time to stare in disbelief as she realized she was the only one with a functional weapon.The horse took turns between fighting her, Flynn (who grabbed another guard's sword) and Hiccup, who was now moving the pan around like an actual sword. And even more, he was holding his own."Now who taugh' a horse how ta fence!" Merida asked as she fought."I don't know, but this is the strangest thing I've ever done!" Flynn replied.The swords were knocked to the side, the frying pan into the ravine. The horse held up the sword dangerously close to their necks, ready for the final blow."Best two outta three?" Hiccup asked."FLYNN!" A steam of hair was being sent their way. It wrapped around Flynn's hand, and with his other arm he managed to catch Merida. Merida grabbed Hiccup by the collar as they swung down.The thugs were still on the ground, and now they were waiting for them with swords. Merida scrambled up the hair just a bit more, just as much as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rapunzel as she yanked on the hair, and just barely did the hair rise. Flynn still had to swing his legs upwards, but the group sailed over the thug's heads unharmed."Ha!" Flynn shouted back. "You two should really see your faces because you look-!"A beam collided with Flynn's stomach. "Ridiculous." He finished in a grunt.Merida didn't waste too much time feeling bad for him. She followed Hiccup as he climbed the hair up to one of the beams. Once she got her footing, she glanced up to Jack and Rapunzel. The horse had knocked down a support beam, and was now using it as a very effective bridge to where the two stood. And now most of the guards were waking up and following him…Merida thought fast. She yanked up the rest of Rapunzel's hair, and the Flynn that was still attached to it. "RAPUNZEL!" She shouted. Rapunzel instantly figured it out. She grabbed onto a bit of her hair, pulled Jack close again, and jumped.Merida froze as the horse reached out. The horse was only inches away from her hair, but a large gust of wind seemed to kick up right at that moment, giving the two the boost needed.Once Rapunzel was safely on the ground, Merida scrambled down off the beams that followed them. She knew that Flynn and Hiccup were following behind here, but she didn't really think about it until the beam began breaking under their weight. She hit the ground, stumbling slightly, and grabbed what of Rapunzel's hair she could.And that's when the dam broke.The four scrambled. Merida didn't even get a good look behind her, content on avoiding the destruction. A large shadow was forming overhead. She glanced up. A boulder. A very very large boulder that was just about to squish them like a pancake. The tidal wave caught up with them at just the last second, and they were launched into the cave entrance just seconds before the boulder fell.It was dark. It was quiet. And the water kept coming in.Hiccup and Rapunzel scrambled to the back, trying to find whatever entrance they could. Flynn dove under. She and Jack took to the walls, desperately attacking for any gap they could take advantage of.Flynn rose up. "It's useless. It's pitch black down there, and even if it wasn't I don't think there are any openings."The water was at hip level. Rapunzel collapsed against the wall, sobbing softly. Merida didn't blame her, and was halfway to that herself. "She was right. I never should have done this." She said in-between chokes.Jack put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault." It was a half-hearted cliché, but it seemed to cheer Rapunzel up a bit. It didn't stop the sobs from coming, though.Hip level."I'm so sorry…" Rapunzel continued. "Hiccup…Merida…Jack…Flynn…""…Eugene." Flynn spoke. All heads turned. "My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert. I…I thought someone should know."Rapunzel nodded.Waist level."I ran away from home too." Hiccup said. "We…Toothless and I. I couldn't kill a dragon. Not when I considered one my best friend."There was silence."Me too." Merida added. This was her last minute alive; she might as well get if off her chest. "The Wisps can change yer faet an'…I suppose anythin' would be better than marryin' someone I didnae know.""Don't have a home to run away from." Jack said next. "I'm…alone. I'm Jack Frost, Winter Spirit, and I have no center."Merida glanced up at him.Shoulder level."I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Rapunzel said, a slight laugh in her tone."This conversation has taken a sudden turn." Flynn said.Rapunzel didn't seem to be listening. All traces of sadness left, and she suddenly looked like she had an epiphany. "I have…magic hair…that glows when I sing!" Rapunzel drew a quick breath with what air they had left. "Flowergleamandglow, letyourpowershine-"The water filled the cave.Flynn hadn't been lying when he said it was dark. Merida would probably have been able to see more with her eyes closed. But what struck her the most was how cold it was. It felt like a thousand pins were striking into her all at once. It was cold, and dark, and she was scared-But then it wasn't so dark. Merida glanced at the source. Her vision might be blurry, but she could still see the source; Rapunzel's hair. She bit her lip to avoid gasping out what air she had. Flynn wasn't as lucky, and he scrambled to get his air back.Rapunzel remained on task. She gestured behind them. The boulders should be easy to move now. Merida swam over and began digging as quick as she could.Toothless studied the cave entrance in front of him. It certainly smelled like Hiccup was in there, but for the life of him, Toothless couldn't figure out how to get in. He reached out gingerly with his paw, just barely touching one of the boulders blocking the path.The boulder shot out as a leg made its way through the crack. Toothless glanced at it curiously, before yanking it out with his mouth, teeth detracted.Four bodies came tumbling out of the wreck and into the river. Hiccup only dangled, still being supported by the dragon. "Thanks, Toothless." He sighed.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 4: Fate and Destiny
"So, would any of you like to explain to me why she's wrapping her mystic glowing hair around my injured hand?" Flynn-or Eugene now-asked.
His answer was a shush from a very intrigued Merida. Really, none of them had an answer for Eugene. The only one who might would probably be Pascal, but there wasn't any point in asking him. Eugene seemed to realize this and rolled his eyes, followed by a jump as the hair irritated his injury.
"Sorry…" Rapunzel winced. "Just…don't…freak out, okay?"
Eugene blinked. That wasn't really a promise of anything, but it looked like Rapunzel was willing to take anything at this point. She took a deep breath.
"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once, what once, was mine…" Her voice was low, but calm. Even with her face struggling to stay relaxed, her song had a near soothing quality to it. She continued to sing, but soon that wasn't the part Jack focused on.
Just like it had in the cave, golden light began to cascade down her hair. Jack watched in stunned silence as the light followed Rapunzel's hair, which was spread all around them now, and eventually reaching Eugene's hand. It reminded him of Sandman's sand, and once Jack reached that conclusion he had to hold back from reaching out and seeing if it felt the same.
Once she finished, the light began to die out and Eugene uncovered his hand. A light squeak came out of his mouth as he gaped at his hand, and Jack could see why: all that remained of his injury was a smear of blood.
Eugene inhaled—
"Pleasedon'tfreakout!" Rapunzel cut him off. Her calm demeanor was gone now, and she looked ready to bolt at any second.
Eugene exhaled. "Freakout, Iwasn'tgonnafreakout, I'mjustveryinterestedinyourhairandthemagicalqualitiesitpossesses, howlonghasitbeendoingthatexactly?" He smiled a very nervous smile.
Rapunzel sighed, giving a very half-hearted laugh as she did. "Forever, I guess? Mother said that when I was a baby, people were always after me trying to cut it. They wanted the power for themselves. But when it's cut, it loses all of its power." She pulled her hair back, and Jack could make out a tiny strand of brown hair at her neck. "A gift like that has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me…That's why I never left and…"
"You've never left that tower…" Jack finished for her. Rapunzel only glanced at him, the answer obvious in her eyes. Jack tried to hide his disbelief at the statement, and put on an air of indifference. "Guess that explains why you jumped at the bunnies…"
"But ye still goin' ta go back?" Merida asked.
"No. Yes?" Rapunzel buried her head in her hands. "It's complicated."
They sat in silence for a little bit more. Jack sighed, and began working his way around the log they had claimed. It was a bit weird, not having to look over people's shoulders and eavesdrop on their conversations.
"So, Eugene Fitzherbert." Jack spoke as he walked. He took a seat on a part that wasn't covered by Rapunzel's hair, and gently helped her little chameleon up to her shoulder.
"Yeah…I'll spare you that sob story." Eugene tried to laugh it off. There was a dead silence as everyone looked his way. He sighed.
"There was this book, back at the orphanage. The Tales of Flynnagan Rider, swash-buckling rouge, richest man alive-not too bad with the ladies, either-I used to read it to all the younger kids every night."
"Was he a thief too?" Rapunzel asked.
Eugene stopped, suddenly growing a bit more serious. He quickly picked himself up. "Well, no. He had enough money to do whatever he wanted really. And for a kid with nothing…I don't know. It just seemed like the better option."
Another crack in his demeanor, just as quickly picked up. "So what about you, Kid? You must have a nice story on how you met that lizard of yours."
Toothless snorted. "Easy, Toothless." Hiccup said. "He's right." He took a deep breath as he prepared his story.
"I'm from the island Berk. My village has been around for seven generations, and nearly every building is new. You see, most places have mice, or mosquitoes, but we have dragons as pests. Most people would leave. Not us. We're Vikings; we have…stubborn-ness issues. Dragon hunting used to be just so we could live without losing our sheep every few days, but it became more of a popularity contest as it went on. Kill a dragon, people start paying attention to you. The more dragons your kill or the stronger they were, the more the popularity would stay."
"You never…killed one, did you?" Rapunzel asked, almost hesitantly.
Hiccup laughed, nearly bitterly. "Have you seen me recently?" He gave a flex of his non-existent muscles to prove it. "But believe me, I tried. I made this whole machine so I could catch a dragon and kill it on my own. It worked, but it caught Toothless here. And when I tried to kill him…I just couldn't.
"The machine took out Toothless' tailfin, and when you take out a dragon's tailfin, it can't fly anymore. I tried making a new one for him," He gestured to Toothless' prosthetic, "and we…became friends in the meantime.
"I learned from Toothless a lot of ways on how you can tame a dragon without actually killing it, and that made me a bit popular in the Dragon Fighting classes. A bit too popular..." He trailed off here. It took him another minute to regain himself, and in that moment no one dared to say anything.
"The final exam was to kill a Monstrous Nightmare all on your own-only the best Vikings go after those; they have a nasty habit of catching on fire. But I couldn't. I couldn't go and kill a dragon…not after one became my best friend."
Toothless wrapped his tail around Hiccup here, in a gesture Jack assumed was his version of a hug. Hiccup continued, affectionately patting Toothless on the head as he did. "So we packed up, and ran off. Never turned back. Then I met Master Thief and Lady Killer Extraordinaire-"Eugune protested with a "hey!", but Hiccup continued. "And he dragged me to your tower."
Merida nodded slightly.
"What about you, Merida?" Jack asked. "You have something you want to contribute to this little therapy session?"
Merida sighed. "I don' knoow…"
"Take your time." Eugene said, still giving his hand a scrutinizing look.
Merida exhaled. No, it was more of a huff. She stood and began to pace around them. "I'm the princess. I'm the example! I've go' duties, responsibilities, expectations-my whole life is planned ou'! Preparin' for the day I become-weel, my mother! She's in charge of every single day of my life!"
"Easy there, Mer!" Hiccup cut her off. It was a good thing too; Merida looked like she was about to explode. "Why don't you…start a little earlier?"
Merida sighed and collected herself. She collapsed back on the log. "Me da's the King of Scotland; me mother the Quin. That makes me the Princess. And while me father's never cared whether I was presentable o' no', my mother spends most o' her time makin' sure I'm…this perfect lil' puppet fo' 'er. But the last straw was sellin' me off ta marriage to one of the other tribe's sons. I never wan'ed to marry, let alone ta someone I don' know! 'But it's traditional', she'd say…"
Merida stood again, and began pacing. Hiccup shifted in his seat, probably preparing to cool her down again. "I tried standin' uup for meself…the tribes sons had ta win my hand, and I entered meself. But my mother…that-that witch-she attacked me for it and threw me bow in the fire! Soo I...ran away." Merida collapsed on the log. "I ran away, and the Wisps lead me to your tower."
Silence fell between them again. Jack leaned back, all of the information turning in his head. What an odd bunch they turned out to be. This didn't answer all of his questions, granted, but it was certainly getting close...
He realized all eyes were on him.
"Uh…" Jack stammered and back up in his seat.
"Yeah…" Hiccup started. "Who are you?"
Jack winced. What is your center?
"I don't know." He said, quite honestly.
"How do you not know?" Eugene asked.
Jack sighed. He ran through his memories in his head, trying to figure out where to begin. "Might as well start with the beginning." He sighed.
"I don't remember much. Anything from my childhood, really. The first thing I really remember was the Moon. It was so big and so bright…and it seemed to chase all the darkness away. I was on this big, frozen lake in the middle of the woods. I didn't know why, or what I was supposed to do…and I don't think I ever will. I grabbed a branch to help walk across, but when it hit the ground, it would start making frost patterns. An-and when I jumped, the wind would carry me. It was so cool and so… fun…I went to a town and tried showing others, but…"
Jack froze as the bad memories came rushing back. All eyes were still on him, now with a hint of concern behind them. "They didn't see me. They walked right through me. I was alone. For 300 years, I was alone, only knowing my name."
"They couldn't see you?" Hiccup asked. Jack nodded in response. "So they did think I threw the snowball!"
That got a laugh out of Jack. It was rather short lived, as Jack realized he had to continue. "I guess I wasn't completely alone. There were others; Sandy, Bunny, Tooth, North…but they all had their jobs to go to and they were always work, work work. But earlier today, they called me in. Said I was one of them. A…Guardian. Anyway, I went exploring and found this snowglobe that took me to your place, Rapunzel."
Rapunzel wasn't paying attention anymore. Her face was a contorted mess of concentration. "Guardian…" She whispered, almost too soft to be heard. She glanced back up at him, wide eyed. "You're one of the Guardians?!"
"Why is she happy?" Both Jack and Eugene asked.
"This is amazing!" Rapunzel exclaimed and rose. "This..ah!" She ran her hands through her hair excitedly. "I've read about you guys!"
"You have?" Jack asked. That…was impossible, right?
"Well of course you know the Guardians." Eugene spoke. His face crinkled in concentration, and it didn't look like he was just answering it. It looked like he was repeating something. "'You've always known the Guardians, even before you could remember…' The Guardians of Childhood. It was one of the other books at the orphanage."
"So, you're a book character?" Hiccup asked.
"I…no!" Jack stood up. "I'm not a Guardian! And…who wrote this book, anyway?"
"Can't tell you off the top of my head." Eugene sighed.
Rapunzel was coming down from her excitement. "Why wouldn't you want to be a Guardian?"
"Well…" Jack sighed. "They're all work and deadlines. I'm…snow days and fun times."
There was a pause. "Ye said tha' people couldnae see ye…" Merida spoke. "Why?"
Jack paused. "They didn't believe in me, I guess. Part of the drawback of being a Winter Spirit; belief makes you real."
"But then how can I see you?" She asked. "I've never heard of a 'Jack Frost'."
That was a good question.
"Neither have I…" Hiccup said. "Well, when you live in a village that snows 9 months out of the year and rains the other 3, you have to believe in some winter spirit…"
"Hey Carrot Top." Eugene spoke. "You believe in these little spirits that lead you to treasure and Blondie's magic hair and not a Winter Spirit?"
Merida blinked. "The Wisps?" When Eugene nodded, she scoffed. "Wisps don' lead you ta treasure; they change your faet. And I'm no' sayin' I believe one way or the other; I'm sayin' I've never even heard of ye!"
There was silence.
"Well, I should, uh…" Eugene stammered as he rose. "I'm gonna go get some more fire wood."
"Hey." Rapunzel called out. Eugene froze. "For the record, I like Eugene Fitzherbert way more than Flynn Rider."
Eugene sighed. "You'd be the first. But thank you."
They watched as he went off, until he was lost in the darkness. They sat for a while in silence.
Then there wasn't silence anymore. A bright flash of light broke the darkness. Jack was the first to recover, and could just make out the shapes of Bunnymund and two Yetis.
"Jack, mate. There's trouble at the Tooth Palace, and…" Bunny froze as the light evened out, revealing the four humans, one dragon and one chameleon with him. "Who are they and why are they starin' at me?"
Jack rolled his eyes. "Never mind that. Come on!"
"Wait, this is too important-!" Bunny started, but Jack wasn't listening. He jumped into the portal, followed by Rapunzel, Merida, Hiccup and Toothless.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 5: Nightmare Attack
"And you let her go?!" Queen Elinor demanded.
"We didn't 'let her go'!" The Corona Castle Guard exclaimed. When he realized his mistake, he added "Your Highness. She managed to escape, along with three others. We know of one to be Flynn Rider, already a wanted criminal, and—"
On any other day, Elinor might have had the patience for this. This was not one of those days, however. "And you didn't try to stop her?"
The castle guard looked a bit stricken by the comment. "We had some of our best men out there—"
"And a horse, apparently." The chief from Berk pointed out.
The guard seemed to take pride in this. "Yes. Maximus, one of the guard's best steeds."
"And apparently he did better in a fight than ye did!" Fergus joked. "D'ya think we could teach Agnus to do tha'?"
"So they did attempt to fight back." The chief from Berk said, though Elinor could see that he too looked a bit intrigued by the thought of a fighting horse.
"Yes. All four of us were disarmed and-"
"What were they usin'? I know Hiccup couldn'ae lift up an axe if his life depended on it."
A long pause. "…A frying pan."
Fergus shot Elinor a look. The only time he looked as happy as he did right now was the first time he got to tell the story of how he lost his leg.
Elinor couldn't quite share her husband's sentiment, however. Right now, her daughter was lost and probably hurt, the other tribes were at her castle probably wondering what was going on, and…
Elinor stood. All eyes were drawn to her. "If this is the best the Corona Guard can do…then I think I'd best do this myself."
No one attempted to stop her as she walked out. As soon as the doors closed behind her, she let her regal appearance collapse.
...and she wish she'd never did it.
The doors opened again, and just before Elinor could pull herself back together again the chief from Berk came out. "I believe what you just said might be the first sensible thing I've heard since I've come to this country. Stoick." He offered her a hand.
Elinor studied it carefully, and gently placed hers in it. She tried her best to hide her shock as the hand was firmly gripped. "Elinor."

As soon as she stepped through the portal, Merida began to fall. She didn't have too much time to think about it (which was probably for the better because if she saw how far she had to fall, she would have screamed), for in that second Rapunzel's hair wrapped around her hand and she was pulled onto Toothless. Jack remained in the air, veering slightly closer to them. Rapunzel, Hiccup and the Puca were already seated on the dragon's saddle; Hiccup focused on flying them, Rapunzel looking like she was having the time of her life, and the Puca looking like he was about to be sick.
"And yet this is somehow preferable to the sleigh!" He shouted.
Toothless dipped low, causing Merida to fall to the ground. A sharp turn, and she was forced to grip to saddle to make sure she didn't fall out again. A quick glance forward showed her why. Black figures were shooting straight towards them. Merida followed one as it went just past them. It was shaped like a horse, but it didn't look solid.
Jack's hand shot through the horse, grabbing something from the chest cavity. He murmured softly, so soft that Merida could barely hear him, to the thing in his hand. His next statement was much louder, and directed to the Puca. "North already here?"
The Puca seemed to gulp before he answered. "He and Sandy should be!"
"Good! They're stealing the Tooth Fairies!"
"Don't mean to interrupt," Hiccup shouted back. "But it looks like we're gonna have a rough landing!"
"Oh, geeze…" The Puca hung his head outside of the saddle. Rapunzel stuck her hands in the air. Toothless dove.
At first, there wasn't any light in the cave, and the only indication that Toothless could see was as they rocked back and forth to dodge unseen obstacles. Once they exited and dove lower. Merida could make them out. Towers, each with a design she'd never seen before that seemed to be connected to each other, that hung from the ceiling and the floor like stalagmites. More towers appeared as they dove, and this time Merida could see that most of them didn't even seem to be touching the ground. Another pack of the horses were coming, and Merida scrambled to grab the frying pan and knock out one coming her way. It exploded in a cloud of sand.
"Nice hit!" Jack complimented as he grabbed what fell from the sand. His expression suddenly grew serious. "They're stealing teeth, too?"
No answer came, for in that instant Toothless landed on one of the larger towers. The Puca was the first to scramble out, and Merida thought he looked just as relieved as he did worried. "Tooth!" He called upwards. "Yeh alrigh'?"
There was a light cry of pain, and Merida glanced upwards to where the Puca was talking. In terms of figure and face, she was recognizably human, but she had been covered in head to toe with brightly colored feathers. She fluttered back and forth at a speed Merida had never seen any bird nor human do, with wings that she could barely see. Another Fae creature, Merida decided, although she couldn't place what kind.
"They took everything! The teeth…the fairies…everything's gone!" As she spoke, the woman slowly lowered to one of the towers, collapsing onto her knees. She was quickly the Puca joined by two others, one short and tinted a bright yellow, and the other was one that reminded Merida strongly of her father but with white hair.
There was a pause.
"Alright, Jack." Hiccup cleared his throat. "Would you like to explain to me what happened in the last, oh…5 minutes?"
Jack opened his mouth, but a new voice cut him off. "Well, well, well. The Big Four, together at last."
The four strangers instantly rose, ready to attack at any second. Merida glanced up at the apparent source. He didn't look human. Actually, if a shadow could stand upright and grow a face, she was pretty sure that's what it would look like. "Did you like my little show on the globe, North? Got you all together, at least."
The man that looked like her father kicked himself.
"PITCH!" Tooth rose. As soon as she reached him, however, he vanished. She darted around. "YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO MY FAIRIES!"
"Or what?" The voice spoke again. Merida looked around, shocked as Pitch appeared at the far end of the room. "You'll put a quarter under my pillow?"
"Vhy are you doing this?" The man called North spoke, raising one of his swords in the shadow's direction.
"Maybe I want what you have." Pitch himself disappeared, but his voice still clearly echoed through the space. "Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds!"
"And maybe that's where you belong!" The puca spoke.
"Oh, go suck an egg, rabbit. Wait, wait…is that…Jack Frost?" Pitch chuckled low. It was only because she was so close to him, but Merida could tell Jack jumped slightly. "When have you been chummy with these four? And since when did you have friends?"
Merida raised the frying pan, ready to attack. Jack gently raised a hand in front of her. "We're not chummy." He said, nearly defensively.
"Oh. A neutral party. Then I'll ignore you for now, but I bet you're used to it."
"PITCH YOU SHADOW-SNEAKING SCUMBAG!" The puca sprinted forward, nearly shoving Merida out of the way. Pitch disappeared again. Tooth was a bit smarter, and she rose up to confront Pitch where he stood next…another one of the horses materialized in front of her and knocked her backwards. She managed to catch herself in mid air.
"Easy, easy…" Pitch cooed as he tamed the horse. Carefully, he ran a hand through the mane, and with a sinister grin, turned to the others again.
"Recognize this, Sandman?" The black sand ran through his fingers. "Took me quite a while to perfect this trick. Turning dreams into Nightmares. Don't be nervous. That only riles them up more."
Seventy feet of golden hair shot at the Nightmare, and with one quick tug, it was demolished. Pitch turned his attention to Rapunzel. "Well, that wasn't very neutral. And who are you again?"
"Rapunzel." She looked like she did when she first had to blackmail them; terrified, certainly, but faking a confidence so she wouldn't lose. Pitch appeared in front of her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Gesundheit."
"Listen," Hiccup spoke. "We don't know what you want, but-"
"What I want," Pitch spoke again, walking closer to Hiccup. Toothless rose, nearly snarling. "Is to be believed in. I want my power back, back before the Man in the Moon replaced all my fear with their wonder and light! Back when people still feared the Boogyman!"
The light sound of falling sand filled the cave. Merida glanced around. Every tower around them was seeping with golden sand, sand that reminded Merida too strongly of the blackened sand the Nightmares were made of. Pitch chuckled. "Oh. It's happening already."
"What is?" Jack asked. There was still a hint of threat in his tone, but it was mostly curious now.
Pitch chuckled again. "All over the world, children are waking up and realizing that the Tooth Fairy never came. I mean, it's such a little thing…but to a child…"
Tooth collapsed to the ground. The others sprung to help her before Merida could. "They…don't believe in me anymore…" She admitted weakly.
"It's great being a Guardian! But if enough kids stop believing in you, all of the things you've sworn to protect simply…disappear. And little by little, so do you. No more Christmas, or Easter, or hopes and dreams. There will just be darkness…and me. It's your turn not to be believed in."
That's when the Puca decided to strike. He tossed some sort of projectile, and while Pitch dodged it the first time, it simply spun around and headed back towards it target. Pitch took this opportunity to leave. He mounted his Nightmare and dove down. The others followed, and Jack looked just about ready to jump himself before Merida caught him on the arm.
"Could ye please explain what's goin' on!?" She cried.
Jack glanced around, a torn look in his eyes. "I will, just later!" He broke her hold and ran off.
Merida huffed. Of all the things that have gone on today, this was the weirdest! She picked up her dress, ready to speed after him—
"MERIDA!" Hiccup called.
Right, they had Toothless.
She sprinted off and mounted the dragon as fast as she could. Toothless took off as sure as they were sure both she and Rapunzel were on board.
It was one thing that they could fly as opposed to those that had to jump. It was another that Toothless was fast. It took only a few seconds for Toothless to get on Pitch's tail, and as soon as he did, it he shot out a brightly colored fireball. Pitch had exactly a second to react, and it took him exactly a second to realize what it was. The fireball managed to knock him into the wall, destroying the Nightmare and causing him to fall. Merida decided to take her chance. She took the frying pan, jumped down, and swung.

CLANG!

For just a moment, time stopped. Everything froze as they tried to figure out what just happened. Even Pitch looked mildly confused.
"Frying pans. Who knew, right?" Hiccup said.
When she turned back, her target was gone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The four stared at the Guardians.The Guardians stared at the four.It was Jack who broke the silence with an awkward cough. "Right. So…North, Bunny, Tooth, Sandy, this is Merida, Hiccup Rapunzel, Pascal and Toothlesss. Merida, Hiccup Rapunzel, Pascal, Toothless, this is Nicholas St. North," He gestured to the large white haired man that reminded Hiccup a little too much of his father, "E. Aster Bunnymund," the rabbit-man, "Toothinia," the bird woman, who was currently huddled in a corner, "and Sandy Mansnoozie." The short man that seemed to be made entirely of golden sand. He was the only one that offered a friendly wave."Toothless?" Bunny asked, a slight hint of suspicion in his tone.Toothless showed his gums, than his teeth.Tooth turned from her corner since the first time they got here."Listen, we didn't mean to intrude on your thing here," Hiccup spoke up."No." Tooth spoke. She rose, hovering slightly over the ground. "You did help. You were at least able to hit him. Thank you."Hiccup certainly wasn't planning for that one. A quick glance showed neither were the Guardians. The smaller bird darted over to him, quickly glancing him over before doing the same to his companions. It seemed content with whatever answer it got, since it continued to hover over Merida's shoulder."Though that doesn't explain how you got here." North spoke."It's…kinda a long story…" Rapunzel muttered. She seemed worried, and Hiccup quickly realized why: she was practically meeting her idols, and they were instantly suspicious of her."Your snowglobe took me to her tower, she blackmailed me into taking her to see the lanterns, we ended up being attacked by thugs, befriended by thugs, attack by police, narrowly escaped, had a heart-to-heart and then Bunny showed up." Jack said, pointing fingers as necessary. "And that's how my day went, what about yours?""So they do work!" North's eyes lit up and he let out a merry laugh. "Tell me: what' is the other dimension like? More same? More industrial? Ooh, please tell me that's the dimensions with flying cars!""What d'ye mean, 'other dimension'?" Merida asked, her voice rising slightly."The spare snowglobes were experimental! For travel through dimensions!" North explained, nearly dancing as he spoke and his eyes sparkling with wonder."So, these three are from a completely different dimension?" Jack asked."And yet this isn't the strangest thing I've heard all day." Hiccup thought aloud."We can deal with that later." Rapunzel spoke up. "What we should be focusing on now is Pitch.""Yeah," Jack said. "Why was he after the teeth?""It wasn't the teeth he wanted," Tooth sighed. She flew slightly off the ground, moving towards a very large mural at the end of the pond depicting her receiving teeth from very happy humans. "It was the memories inside the teeth. Teeth store the most important memories of childhood. We collect them, and when they need to remember something, we help them. We had everyone's here…even yours, Jack."Jack blinked. "My memories?" He nearly stammered."Before you became Chosen."Jack blinked again. "I—I wasn't…anyone before…"Now Tooth blinked. She turned back to him, a slight look of confusion on her face. "Of course you were. Everyone was someone before they were Chosen."Jack froze for a second. The next, he was darting over the pond to Tooth, the water freezing under his feet. "You're saying I was someone before the night on the pond!? I had a life? A family?!"Tooth's face fell. "You don't remember…?"The atmosphere suddenly grew very tense as the Guardians seemed to realize this. Jack didn't seem to pay attention. "If I find my memories, then I'll know why I'm here!" He quickly rose.Hiccup found himself being flung off of his feet and onto Toothless' saddle as Toothless sped after him. The Night Fury crossed right in front of Jack's path, causing him to stop in mid air."The teeth aren't here, remember?" Hiccup nearly shouted at him. "That walking shadow thing has them.""We'll just have to get them back then!"The atmosphere suddenly grew a lot tenser. Hiccup glanced around. It was like the entire garden was dying. The water was growing darker, the trees were beginning to lose their bright blossoms, and the mural was quickly dissolving. Toothless slowly lowered back onto one of the rocks."It's already starting." Tooth said as she lowered back on the ground. "They're not believing anymore…""NO!" North roared. "No such thing as too late!" He began pacing, humming and wiggling his swords as he did. He froze, muttering to himself. After a few seconds, his eyes widened again, and he pointed a sword directly at Rapunzel. She hid behind her frying pan."IDEA! Ve," He waved his swords around them, pointing towards nearly all of them. "Vill collect the teeth!""What?" Merida asked."Ve get teeth, children keep believing!""We're talking seven continents, millions of kids-!" Tooth spoke."Give me break." North chuckled lowly, finally putting down his swords. "You know how many presents I deliver in one night?""Or eggs I hide in one day?" Bunny spoke up."And if you three help," North pointed his sword to Merida, Rapunzel and himself. "Ve get you back before…lanterns?"Rapunzel lowered her frying pan to give an enthusiastic nod."And if you help out," North pointed to Jack. "We find your teeth."Jack smiled. "I'm in.""BEST!" Rapunzel dropped down one chimney.She popped out of another a few houses away. "DAY!" She fell back down.Yet another chimney across the street. "EVER!""Better catch up, Cotton-tail, I've five teeth ahead!" Jack shouted as he flew over the rooftops."You don't wanna race a rabbit, mate!" Bunny called after him."Ooh!" North called as he rose from a chimney. "Is this a race now!?""Four bicuspids over there! Incisor two blocks east! Is that a molar! They're everywhere!" Toothless slowed as Tooth rammed into a billboard."You okay?" Hiccup called."Fine!" She laughed it off. "It's just been a while since I've been out on the field?""And how long is 'a while'?""Oh…440 years, give or take?" She admitted sheepishly. She sped off as she found another tooth.Merida tossed the tooth up in the air…and found herself falling through the ground. Bunny took the tooth before it could fall. "Thank you very much, miss!""Oi!" Merida protested. Fortunately for her, the Puca wasn't two feet away before he was pinned to the wall by a blast of ice.Jack took the tooth from his paw, giggling lightly. "Yes!"A golden hand reached down and took it from him. Sandy floated above them on a cloud of his sand, smiling to himself."No!" Jack protested.One of Toothless' fireballs shot out. Sandy managed to move before it hit him, just in time for Hiccup to reach out and take the tooth from him. "Thank you!" He called out.He didn't get to move very farther before Rapunzel swung in his path on her hair and snatched the tooth from him."Wow!" Tooth exclaimed. "You're collecting teeth and leaving presents faster than my fairies!"There was a pause."You have been leaving presents, right?'Sandy nodded, before lowering his head and shaking it."Try smoothing it out on the side." Hiccup offered."I did!" Merida shouted back. Stupid other dimension and their stupid paper currency!Finally, a miracle happened. The machine took the bill, spitting out several silver coins as a response. Merida happily took it and turned to the end of the line."Left central incisor, knocked out in a freak sledding accident." Tooth noted, twirling the tooth around in her fingers. She giggled slightly, careful not to wake up the kid beside her. "You think Jack had something to do with this?"Rapunzel laughed softly and nodded."This was always the part I liked the most. Seeing the kids." Tooth sighed, rising up above the bed. "Why did I ever stop doing this?""It's different up close?" Rapunzel spoke in nearly a whisper.Tooth nodded. "Thank you. I knew it wasn't your intent to be here, but…you've really helped." The fairy laid a soft hand on her shoulder.Rapunzel fought to hide her smile. But it's been so long since she had such need to smile. "Thank you, really. I grew up reading about the Guardians, and…it really means a lot that I could help.""A-HA!" North's exclamation shook through the room. Rapunzel and Tooth shushed him as he, Jack and Sandy walked through the window.Jack understood, and spoke in nearly a whisper. "What gives, slowpokes?""How you feel, Tooth?" North asked, a bit quieter this time."Believed in!" Tooth sighed."Oh, I see how it is." Bunny spoke lowly, his head sticking out from the floor. "All teaming together ta put the rabbit in last place.""Ye think we need ta team up to beat ye?" It was Merida speaking now. The sack of teeth she had came into the room before she and Hiccup did. "Look a' this!""You call tha' a bag of choppers?" Bunny asked. He held up his own, nearly twice as big. "This is a bag of choppers!""Now, now, this is about Tooth.. This is not a competition. And even if it was," North tossed his bag, nearly as big as he was, over his shoulder and down on the ground. It landed with a thud. "I WIN!"The light hit him dead in the eye.The kid scrambled backwards once the Guardians looked at him. However, his eyes remained wide with curiosity, and the flashlight traveled to examine everyone in the small bedroom. "Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny? The Sand Man…and the Tooth Fairy! I knew you'd come!""Surprise!" Tooth exclaimed. Her small laugh made it obvious she was nervous."And I don't know who you are, but you have to be cool!" The kid continued. It occurred to Rapunzel that the light was now on her, and she offered a pathetic wave."Uh…hi! We were just…collecting you tooth, and now we'll be on our way…" Hiccup prompted.Before anyone could so much as take a step, a dog leaped onto the bed and faced them, growling slightly."Alright now, nobody panic," Bunny spoke up, walking up closer."Uh, Bunny? That's a Greyhound." Jack pointed out. "You know what Greyhounds do to rabbits?""Well, I bet he's never seen a rabbit like this!""Woahwoahwoahwoahwoah!" Rapunzel scrambled forward, spreading her arms to put as much distance between Bunny and the Greyhound as possible. Once he was at least out of the way, she turned to the dog. "Easy there, easy! Easy…"The growling stopped. "Is she…" Hiccup started, but he didn't finish that thought."Now then…sit!"The Greyhound plopped down."Good, uh…" She glanced to its owner."Abby!" The kid supplied."Good Abby! You're just a giant sweetheart aren't you? Now we're just going to calm down and…"A loud buzzing filled the room.It happened very quickly. So quickly, Rapunzel was positive that she didn't even get to see it all. Abby sprung, and began chasing Bunny around the room. A golden ball soon followed suit, bouncing around the room. It collided with Tooth, Bunny and Abby, knocking them out. It collided with North, sending the large man down and on the bed, sending the kid flying. Rapunzel managed to knock the ball out the window with her frying pan, and Merida caught the kid before he could fall on the ground. With a nod from Sandy, the kid fell asleep.Jack's cackle filled the room."Jack!" Merida protested, dropping the kid to put her hands on her hips."What?" Jack asked. "I wasn't the one who knocked them all out. Though I do wish I had my camera…"Sandy gave him a disapproving look. It changed into one more fearful, and a golden finger pointed to the window. Rapunzel turned. A Nightmare stood in the window.It sped off as soon as it was spotted, and the five scrambled out of the window just as soon as it was gone.It was a meager campsite. And 'meager' was probably the nicest word for it. But considering that they had left the castle with literally the clothes on their back and not much else, Stoick supposed it would have to do.Elinor, however, seemed to disagree. In the time it took him to start up a fire and a small place to sleep, she had set up a full table with plates made of bark and utensils made of twigs. Stoick watched curiously as she had set it up, and when she finally was sitting down, he cleared his throat. "So what's all this suppose ta be?""Dinner, o' course." She replied. "Come. We'll never find them on a' empty stomach."Stoick fought the urge to roll his eyes as he sat down, placing his axe"No weapons on the table." Elinor said without glancing his way.on the ground beside him. He watched quietly as Elinor picked up her utensils, carefully trying to slice through a single berry on her plate. Said berry collided with the bridge of Stoick's nose.He could hear Elinor's apologies, but he tuned it out as he glanced over the berry. "Find these by the creek?"Elinor paused. "Well, of course.""Nightshade berries." And, when that didn't provoke a response, "Poisonous."Elinor spat the berry out. It collided with the bridge of Stoick's nose again. She scrambled for some water, and Stoick tried to hid back his laughter.He let her collect her breath again before he spoke. "You're used to the finer things in life, aren't ye?"Elinor sighed. "I suppose…""Yer daughter this way too?"This provoked a laugh. "Of course no'! She's probably havin' the time o' her life righ' now!" Then, a bit more somberly, "That is if she isn'ae in danger…"Stoick stood and picked up his ax. "Come oon. I'll teach ya ta fish."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Purple lights shined over the night sky of Burgess."Got one! Hiccup cheered as he pulled Toothless into a landing.Merida was the first one out, and therefore the first to see it. The sand had been forced into the ground, still smoldering lightly and still, disconcertingly, in the vaguest shape of a horse."And what are you two doing here?" Pitch's voice spoke. Merida scrambled up and spun. As soon as she came face to face with him, he faded again."You know, for a neutral party, you hang out with those weirdos a lot." Pitch appeared again at the building opposite them. "This isn't your fight.""You made it our fight when you hurt our friends!" Hiccup protested."Friends?" There was a slight hint of-worry?-in his tone. Before he continue, he noticed that Sandy was standing right next to him and looking rather disappointed. "Now this is who I'm looking for—"Two whips of golden sand shot out at Pitch, and in seconds he was tossed back on the street."Remind me not to get on your bad side." Jack said as he and Rapunzel joined them. Sandy simply gave him a firm nod in response.Merida, Hiccup and Rapunzel scrambled back onto Toothless, who slowly floated back down to the street. Pitch was still lying on the ground, and he began scrambling to his feet once he saw Sandy again."You can't blame me for trying, Sandy! You don't know what it's like not to be believed in! It was stupid of me to mess with your dreams, so I'll tell you what: you can have them back."Whinnies filled the air. Merida glanced around. Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of Nightmares filled the streets now from all corners."Uh…" Hiccup stammered. "How about you two take the ones on the left and we'll take the ones on the right?"Sandy shrugged nervously.Elinor studied the trout carefully, her eyebrows furrowing together slightly. Sure, it had been cooked, and Stoick had given his word that it was dead, but she could still see the poor thing wiggling around like it did on the spear. Carefully, she grabbed her fork and took a bite…It then occurred to her that the last time she had a decent meal was nearly two days ago. She dove in.Stoick laughed, a very hearty and cheerful laugh that reminded her of Fergus. "Not bad, isae?"It then occurred to Elinor that, in her eagerness, she had probably forgotten all of her manners. She straightened herself out and used a nearby reed as a napkin, causing Stoick to laugh even more.The rest of the dinner passed near silently, with Stoick too absorbed in his food and Elinor too absorbed in her thoughts. She would freely admit she knew very little about Berk (though she felt that both her mother and her daughter would be judging her for such admission); it was too far away for political ties, and had no exporting trade. But she did know it was Viking country. And Vikings were already what Merida wanted to be, or already was: Strong. Independent. Warriors.Low-class, a more bitter part of Elinor's mind brought up. Wild. No respect for traditions. Stoick was already reminding her of a grown up male Merida as it was! If his son was even a fraction like him…Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask."So, what's your son like?""Hiccup?" Stoick laughed again, more bitter than before. "Well, he's the literal hiccup o' Berk! Poor kid couldnae throw an axe if his life depended on it! Or, at least that what he was like…Once he got inta proper dragon training, he pulled a complete 180! He was top o' the class in days! He was all ready ta face the Monstrous Nightmare in front of the entire village when…"The 'when' went unsaid. "Sounds like he didn't want to fight it…" Elinor said quietly.Stoick turned her way, his face meshed into a scowl. "My son's a Viking. And I'm not sure how you do it in the Highlands, but Vikings fight dragons. That's all there is to it."Elinor decided to remain silence, lest she provoke a fight with the only person she could really trust in this whole country.She still thought it, though. Hiccup was like Merida: both of them had no respect for traditions."Sandy!" Merida shouted. "Can ye make me a weapon?"Sand seemed to hesitate for just a fraction of a second before tossing a cloud of Dream Sand her way. She reached out to it gently, and watched as it slowly began to make a shape. In seconds, she was holding a bow that, despite being made of sand, felt exactly like her old bow.Another cloud went up to Hiccup. When he took hold of, a large shield. Hiccup nearly scowled at it. "Great. Just what I was hoping for…"He didn't get a chance to complain more, for that's when the Nightmares struck.An arrow formed in Merida's hand before she got the chance to ask Sandy for one. She fired it, watching as the golden dart collided with black sand. In a few seconds, the sand faded and was replaced with Dream Sand again. Merida smirked as she glanced over her weapon. She liked this bow.North jumped into consciousness. He glanced around quickly. A child's bedroom…with Bunny and Tooth…Right. Now he remembered.He stayed in consciousness just long enough to realize that the others he had come with were missing and the window was open.Two hooves of sand landed on the shield that was currently raised in front of Hiccup's face. As soon as he realized that he wasn't about to be trampled, he quickly tossed off the horse and raised it in front of him again. "Hey Rapunzel, can I have the frying pan?" Hiccup asked.Rapunzel wasn't really listening, for she was already using it to knock back Nightmares.The Nightmare charged at him. Hiccup tried to cover himself again, but he had only managed to cover his face when he noticed what the shield did. The front opened up, and a golden glove shot and struck the Nightmare, sending it backwards.Hiccup glanced at what remained of the Nightmare. He glanced at the shield Sandy gave him. "Can I keep this?" He asked.Sleigh bells rung overhead. Hiccup glanced up, just in time to see North's sleigh drive by. Sandy seemed to be taking this as some kind of cue. A cloud of golden sand appeared under Hiccup's feet, and he found himself being tossed into the air.For just a second, before the forces of gravity could overcome the forces of acceleration, Hiccup hovered in the air. Toothless dove, and Hiccup collided with a saddle."Thank you Toothless." Hiccup deadpanned as he scrambled to the reins.Jack landed on the side of North's sleigh."Ya might wanna duck." Bunny advised him. Jack glanced up to see a Nightmare charging at him and decided that yes, maybe Peter Cottontail was right this time.The Nightmare was destroyed before it could get too close to Jack. When he glanced up to investigate, he saw Bunny, holding up his boomerang with a satisfied smirk on his face.He glanced up further. A whole cloud of Nightmares was forming, with only small, near token strips of golden sand breaking through it. The sleigh spun, and Jack could make out Pitch standing above it.He fired an arrow.Jack jumped off the sleigh and flew forward, but it was too late. The arrow collided with Sandy. There was a small flash of golden light, then there was none.Things happened in a blur after that. Jack knew he was flying, and knew he was screaming, but all his attention was narrowed onto Pitch. It was only diverted as the dark cloud dissipated, and a wave of Nightmares came his way. He raised his hand in front of him defensively….A bright blue light shot through the night sky of Burgess.A searing pain shot through Jack's chest. He glanced down for the damage, but none showed. He glanced back up to the wave of Nightmares. The sand was frozen in front of him, covered in a very thick frost. It cracked, and Jack found himself being tossed back from the blast.He wasn't unconscious, but it took him a minute to regain himself. When he did, he found himself glancing up into the wide, worried eyes of Rapunzel and Pascal. "Jack…how did you do that?" She asked, a hint of worry in her tone.Jack blinked. "I…I don't know."Pitch laughed as he watched the sleigh and dragon disappear into a Snowglobe Portal. "Finally! Someone who knows how to have a little fun!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The funeral was a small affair. Only the seven of them had been invited, but since it was at North's Workshop, the Yetis and the Elves stopped in to pay their respects. They couldn't even do much; without a body or will or any of the traditional human funeral things, and all they could do was light candles and gather together. The only sounds came from the elves, who were playing a somber melody with the bells on their hats.Jack had watched the whole affair from afar. Sure, he had been invited, but it would feel too weird for him. He wasn't a Guardian, and it was his fault that they had to fight Pitch, so what good would he be doing there? He poked the widow beside him, and scowled at it as the frost formed the figure of Sandy.He saw North approach him through the window's reflection. "You alright?" He asked."I just…" Jack sighed. "I just wish I could have done something, or—""Done something? Jack, you stood up to Pitch. You saved us.""But Sandy—""Would have been proud."North leaned against the widow. Jack stood up. He didn't want to deal with this. All he wanted to do right now was get his staff, get his teeth, and forget everything that's happened in the last few days.He didn't even realize he was walking away until North laid a large hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I don't know who you were before, but in this life, you are Guardian."Jack glanced up at his. There weren't any signs that he was just saying that to make him feel better, but Jack was nearly positive of it. "How do I know who I am until I find out who I was?""You will. I feel it. In my belly!"Oddly enough, that had been the most hopeful thing Jack had heard all day.It was quiet between Rapunzel, Merida and Hiccup. Really, there wasn't much they could say. They hadn't really known Sandy, but that didn't mean it wasn't awful to see him gone. Especially because his death might spell out doom for the entire universe."Well, aren't we a happy bunch." Jack announced as he walked in. By his tone, it was still rather obvious he was trying to be stronger than he was.As soon as he was in sight, Rapunzel rushed into him and let the tears flow freely. It took Jack a minute to figure out how best to comfort her, an awkward embrace that only partially resembled a hug. Hiccup decided not to judge too harshly; he would probably be even worse and Jack had the excuse of having very little contact for the last 300 years.Once Rapunzel pulled herself back together, Jack spoke again. "So, what's the plan? You outta be leaving if you want to catch the lanterns in time.""Wot, ye don' wan' ta go?" Merida asked.Jack shrugged. "Well…I'm kind of rooted here now, you know? They need someone now that Sandy's…" He trailed off.There was a pause. Hiccup decided to take this as a cue. "You said that you read about the Guardians…"Rapunzel nodded."How do you think the author knew about something that happened in another dimension?"Merida raised an eyebrow. "Wot are ye getting at?""Well, maybe the author knows something the others don't. Maybe he knows how we can defeat Pitch. Maybe he knows about…some weapon Sandy would have.""Sandy wouldn't have a weapon…" Jack seemed to consider this. "But that's not a bad idea. How do you think we can track them down, though?""Well," Rapunzel said with a sniffle. "We can probably track them down by name and teleport there with the Snowglobes."Jack still looked skeptical. "That might take a while…you could lose the lanterns."Rapunzel shook her head. "There'd be plenty of time to see the lanterns if we save the world. You said it yourself. They need someone if Sandy's gone.""Hey Blondie! Can I ask you something!?" Eugene shouted as he approached the camp again. "Is there any chance that I'd get super-strength in my hand or something? Because I'm not gonna lie, that would be stupendous."He stopped dead in his tracks as he approached the campsite. Sure, the fire was still there, as well as the log, but that was about it that showed him he had gone to the right campsite. The fire was on its last embers, sign that the group probably hadn't been around for quite a while.The sticks that he had collected clattered to the ground. "Well, that's just great." Eugene complained as he folded his arms. "Great to know who I can count on when I need it!"As if on cue, the campsite flashed blue, and it was suddenly full again. Blondie, the Kid, Carrot Top, Frost, the Lizard, the Frog…And a large rabbit, a larger white-haired man, and a bird-woman."Something tells me I'm missing a lot here, aren't I?" Eugene asked.About a half-hour later, Eugene cleared his throat. "So what you're saying is…the stories we used to read as children are real, and happened in another dimension, and you've been in the other dimension all night trying to help the characters from it stop the villain from destroying the world's belief and bring about an eternal darkness."There was silence. "Well, that about covers it." Hiccup said.Eugene leaned back with a sigh. "And yet this isn't the strangest thing I've seen all day." That honor still belonged to the fencing horse. "So what's the plan now?""We're gonna go find the author." Rapunzel answered. "They might know something that might help us fight Pitch."Eugene scanned his memory. "I think her name was Joyce…but don't get your hopes up, Blondie. She lives way out there…I think in a place called Dun'Broch."Merida stood. "That's no problem. Dun'Broch's my home.""And we're gonna go start up Easter." The large rabbit-man, who Eugene learned was named Bunnymund, added.Eugene shot him a look. "You really think that a silly little holiday's going to do anything to save the universe."Without thinking, without batting an eye, without any hint of irony or self-awareness, Bunny said "Yes."Eugene decided to take his word for it. "Well, it it's all the same to you, I'm gonna work with them." He gestured to Rapunzel, Jack, Merida and Hiccup. "Hey, if anything, I could meet one of my idols.""So it's decided then!" The large man, North, announced and stood. Once he did, the portal opened once again "Good luck with Sofia, Jack! Make sure to get autograph for me!"Then the Guardians were gone.Rapunzel was up for some time after that. Sure, she was just as exhausted as everyone, but too much had happened today for her to really easily fall asleep. She had stood up to mother, she had gone outside for the first time, she had met her idols...She made friends. That part was stuck in her head more than anything."Ah. Now I thought I'd never find you."Rapunzel nearly gasped. It was still mostly dark, but she could just make out Mother's figure and some facial features. "Mother…" she whispered."Good to see you again, Rapunzel" Mother continued. "I suppose you wanted to pour some lemon juice on this wound?"Rapunzel started to wince…but she stopped herself. "Mother, you don't understand. I've been on this incredible journey and I've see so much. I…I even made friends.""Yes, I've heard. The escaped convict and the two runaway royals. But you're going to go home now, Rapunzel.""But Mother,""Now.""Mother, they need me!"This made Mother stop. Rapunzel could feel her eyes on her, judging her carefully. "'Need you?' Rapunzel, that's demented! You really think they'd need you!? And what exactly do you bring to the table?"Rapunzel blinked back in surprise. Her mind raced with answers, but they didn't connect to her mouth."Now don't be a dummy. Mother—""NO!" Rapunzel answered and stepped back. It wasn't quite a shout, but it was still loud and firm.Now Mother blinked. "Oh? So now Rapunzel knows best! Aren't you all grown up now! Well, if you really think you've found your own group of friends, go ahead and give them this!"Mother raised the satchel."How did you-?""This is what they want! And as soon as you give them it, they'll drop you faster than I can say 'I told you so'!" The satchel was tossed her way, and Rapunzel just barely managed to catch it. "And when they do, don't come crying to me!"Mother stormed off. Rapunzel considered running after her, but she stopped herself. Carefully, she reached into the satchel and fingered the not-quite hat. They wouldn't…maybe Eugene might, but not after everything they've been through, right?Still, Rapunzel couldn't help but feel she was simply delaying the inevitable.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Merida groaned as she collided with the ground. It took her a minute to pull herself back up, but she froze again once she did. It was the menhir again, still just as empty as before. If this was supposed to be the author's house, than she knew exactly where to go.Merida let her memory guide her, not holding up for any of the others. Fortunately, they managed to see her wander off and were quick to follow.The road forked. On one side, it was a forest. On the other, it was a small cottage, one that would be easily missed if one wasn't looking for it."How'd you know this would be there?" Rapunzel asked as the other caught up."I've been here before." Merida answered. "The wisps! They lead me here, and they forked in the road! I tried goin' here, but the door was locked and nobody was around, so….""The wisps lead you here…"Jack repeated, as if he didn't believe her."I'm no' lying!""I believe you, it's just…" Jack sighed and started walking forward. "Let's go inside."Merida chased after him. "I told ye! It's lo—"The door opened and a bell sounded. "After you!" Jack said, with an exaggerated bow and gesture.Merida huffed and stepped in. She slowed as she began to glance around. The ceiling was low, nearly low enough that Merida had to duck to fit in properly (and Jack actually did have to). All around them hung wood carvings; most finished, others still in process. They ranged from pots to toys to pictures to statues, but they all had one thing in common: bears. Everything in the small shop had a bear on it in one way or the other.Across from them, an old woman, presumably the owner, glanced up from her sweeping. "Oh, welcome dears! Everything's half off! Tell me if you find anything ya like!""Oakie doke! You four have fun in this magical workshop; I'm gonna keep the Lizard company." Eugene dashed out.Merida glanced around. This couldn't be right. It was too plain for someone who wrote about other dimensions. Sure, Merida would recognize that face if she saw it again, but there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about her."Hey, how much do you think this is?" Jack asked her, holding up a small toy of a bear reaching for fish jumping out a river."Oh, that's one's a real prize! One-o'-a-kind!" The woman said.To Jack.Jack nearly avoided dropping the toy in his shock. "You can see me?" He asked."Well o' course I can! Now then, my askin' price is 20 gold, but I do accept barter if you have somet'ing worth it…""We'll talk about that later." Hiccup jumped in. "You're…Sofia Joyce?""Or how abou' this conversation starter?" the woman continued, grabbing one of the pictures. "Made of euwood! Stronger than stone, this is!""Well, we were hoping to ask about—"Just out of the corner of her eyes, Merida saw movement. "YOUR BROOM IS MOVIN'!" She exclaimed before she could think better of it.The broom dropped down dead."Don' be ridiculous dear." The woman said. "Wood can' be infused with magical properties. I should know. I'm a Wi…""You a witch!" Rapunzel exclaimed just as the woman finished "Widdler!""That's why the Wisps lead me here!" Merida exclaimed in realization. "You could'a helped me change my faet!""I'M NOT A WITCH!" The woman exclaimed. Then, a bit more cooly. "Too many dissatisfied customers. If you're no goin' ta by anything…leave."Every carving tool in the workshop rose and pointed straight at them. "Wait wait wait!" Hiccup tried. The carving tools slowly began approaching, and the four of them started backing out to the door. "We just wanted to ask you about—""I don' care! Ge' out!" The Witch shouted."But we just-" Rapunzel tried, making a token attempt to swing the weapons away with her pan."I'LLBUYTHELOT!" Merida shouted.Everything stopped. "What was that?" The Witch asked."Every carving." Merida repeated.The tools turned. The Witch laughed nervously. "And how are you goin' ta pay for that?"The tools turned towards them again. Without thinking, Merida grabbed her locket and held it up for inspection. It wasn't like she needed it anymore.The woman gaped at it, seemingly oblivious as her crow flew onto her head. "Oh, that's lovely that is…""That'll set us up for months!" The crow squawked. Merida tried to hide her surprise that the crow was talking. The woman reached out for the locket, but Merida snatched it away."Every carving…and some answers. Ye are Sofia Joyce, right?"The woman blinked, and the weapons lowered. "Fine. Now what's this about?"She shooed them out of the doorframe and followed them out. "Where are ye-?" Merida started, but Rapunzel stopped her."Well, we were hoping to ask you about the Guardians…" Rapunzel muttered."You really shouldn't mutter, dear. Very unbecoming." Sofia said and began turning back to her house. "The Guardians, huh? It's not that often that people come by to ask me about that.""What are ye doin'?" Merida finally got to ask.Sofia opened the door. The workshop was gone. "Never conjure where ye carve. Very important." She lead them all back in.This was more fitting of a Witch's lair, Merida thought. The whole room was lit with only candles and a fireplace in the center, on its last embers. Various vials, some full, others not, hung on the shelves and above their heads, and hanging off the fireplace was a cauldron that was nearly twice as big as Merida was.Sofia stopped to take a good look at the group. "Ah. So that's why ye look so familiar." She said, and Merida realized she was talking to Jack. "I've been working for ages on your book, but I just keep getting' stuck." She gestured to one of the tables nearby. On it Merida could make out a stack of books, another of paper, and a strange machine in the middle of it. It was wooden (no surprise), with several rows of keys in front of it and a half-written paper sticking out of it."My book?" Jack asked, stunned."Well of course! Ya are Jack Frost, aren't ya?"Jack froze.Hiccup decided to speak for him. "That's actually one of the reasons we came. We wanted to know how you knew about the Guardians.""Oh, when ya've been in magic for as long as I have, ya learn to keep an eye on what goes one elsewhere." Sofia explained with a wave of her hand. "I didn' really feel on putting pen to paper until a few years ago, though. I was expecting a niece at the time; she'd need some way to get good ideas in her head. Especially with the way my sister trea'ed her...""So you just wrote what you saw…" Rapunzel repeated."Not what I saw, dear. I wrote what was suppose ta happen. I wrote their fates.""Their fates?" Jack seemed to regain himself."Don't ask so surprised. Everyone has a fate, or a destiny, or whatever you want to call it. Some people never find it, of course. Some..." Sofia stopped, and glanced at them as if it were the first time she saw them. In seconds, she scrambled and began inspecting them. But not just inspecting; searching them, measuring them, Rapunzel's hair, Pascal…Merida hadn't felt under such scrutiny since she left home!"Oi!" Merida protested, but the witch continued anyway.When she had finished, Sofia backed away from them, eyes wide.Eugene sighed as he leaned against Toothless. "You know, I do like the giant stone towers here. Really ties the…giant empty field together."Toothless nodded, and seemed to gesture towards the forest beside them."Oh yeah. Carrot Top's definitely winning out in the 'homeland' department here. Set up a summer home here if I could."Almost instantly, Toothless shook him off and stood up, ready to fight. Eugene was about to call him out, but then he saw a whole flock of birds flying off from the forest. "What was that?" He asked, not really bothering to realize that Toothless couldn't answer.That's when he heard it again. A very angry-sounding roar."And what does that mean?" Hiccup asked."It means, you four were never suppose ta meet." Sofia explained. "Yar fates were never meant to cross. And whatever bound you together is out of my control." She paused again and looked straight at Merida. "You said the Wisps lead ya here?""Well, yeah, but—""Devils!" The crow cursed for her."And where did ya go before then?""Erm…" Merida hesitated."My home, in Corona." Rapunzel chimed in."Corona, huh…" Sofia studied them. "And how long did it take ya ta get there?""A night?" Merida answered. It would have taken shorter if Agnus hadn't been such a coward…"You got from here to Corona in a night by foot?" Sofia clicked her tongue."And is tha' so hard?" Merida demanded."Impossible, actually." The crow answered."They're separated by an ocean." Sofia said. "Even if ya could get there, it'd take more than just a night.""And it only took Toothless and I a day to get from Berk to Corona…" Hiccup hesitated. "Come to think of it, I should've thought about that a bit more…""It's the Wisps. They don' lead ya to your fate, they change it. They lead all of ya together so you can change destiny." Sofia gave a dramatic wave of her hands. "And it's completely out of my power now. Sorry I couldn't help you more, dears. Expect your purchases to arrive in a fortnight."Merida was kind of aware that they were basically being shooed out. But she was too confused (and a little angry) to really be thinking straight. She followed the rest of them out, and closed the door behind them."Shame. I was hoping I could look over my book." Jack spoke up. "So what should we do now?"If any of them were going to speak up, they were cut off. Eugene's screams cut through the air. Merida jumped, and jumped again when she saw her surroundings. They had moved back to the menhir. She couldn't get a minute to contemplate this before Eugene and Toothless came sprinting by.Merida glanced over to what they were running from. Her blood froze."Mor'du…"Mor'du the Demon Bear noticed them. He charged.Merida found herself frozen to the ground. Her blood ran cold, but she could hear her heart beating in her chest. She couldn't collect herself in time before Mor'du noticed her and charged. A gust of wind picked her up off the ground and left her there."Friend of yours?" Jack asked."We need ta make a run for it!" Merida shouted back. "There's no way we can fight 'im!"Jack seemed confused, but he decided to take her word for it. With another gust of wind, he scooped up Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Eugene. Toothless prepared to take off.And that's when Mor'du caught him. With a quick slash from behind, Toothless was pinned."TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup shouted.There wasn't much damage that Merida could see. But she could see Toothless' tailfin, now mostly in shreds. This was around the point that Toothless decided fighting was inevitable. He roared, a roar louder than Merida figured Mor'du could manage, and by his reactions, louder than what Hiccup had heard him do before, and shot out a fireball.Mor'du collided with one of the stones. He managed to recover quickly and charged back at Toothless, but Merida wasn't paying attention to that.The stone was cracking.Well, of course it was, she realized. Those were as old as the land themselves, and they had to deal with the force of the Demon Bear colliding with it full force!She could hear Jack and Hiccup arguing about Jack trying to get Toothless out of there, but Merida wasn't listening. "Eugene! I need your bow!""What?" Eugene shouted. "Carrot Top, you are not going down there!""I'm not planning ta!" Merida snapped back.He rolled his eyes, but all the same tossed her his bow and a quiver. Merida's eyebrows furrowed together when she saw it. Only two arrows…no need to think like that. She could do it in one.Carefully, she prepared the arrow and aimed. She strained her vision, trying as hard as possible to make sure she would strike it right in the crack…"TOOTHLESS!" She shouted as a warning. Toothless understood instantly, and jumped out of the way right as the arrow was fired.Mor'du was less lucky. He had just a second to realize what was happening when the stone collapsed, with him under it.There was silence. With the threat over, Jack slowly began lowering the four of them down. Hiccup was quick to reunite with Toothless who, aside from a few minor cuts and bruises, wasn't any worse for wear.Merida stared at her work. The realization of what she's just did washed over her like a tidal wave of cold, briny water. She just killed Mor'du. The same bear that had taken her father's leg, the bear that was known and feared throughout the Highlands…and she had been the one to kill it. She took in a shaky breath, quickly realizing that, in all the commotion, she wasn't breathing as much as she would like to.Blue light began to shine over the fallen stone. It began to form a shape, and Merida could just make out the outline of a human. He glanced her way, and gave a solemn, respectful nod. The light faded, and a Wisp darted out of the way.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It took Hiccup a second to pull himself back up when the portal spit him out again. It look like they were underground, and that didn't surprise him too much since they were at a rabbit's home. Large intricate stone designs covered with moss filled the walls, and brightly colored plants sprung from everywhere. The part that grabbed Hiccups' attention the most were the large egg-shaped statues, that changed their expressions from mad to happy.Toothless sprung forward, as if ready to pounce. Hiccup was about to ask why when he heard it. A ghostly, painful wail that echoed through the cave. He sprung too, ready to strike at anything. He glanced over to the rest of his group, who were now quickly scrambling for their own weapons. The wail grew closer, and the six charged.A small girl came rushing out of the cave. She stopped as soon as she saw them, staring with wide eyes. They nearly tripped over each other in their attempts to stop."Sophie?" Jack asked.Sophie didn't really seem to mind, as all of her attention was now on Toothless. Her expression made it obvious that she was trying really hard to figure out what it was. She pounced on him, drawing Toothless' head into a tight hug. Hiccup could only stand back and blink.Tooth came rushing out of the cave entrance, followed by the rest of the Guardians. "Wait! They're not that bad! Look, they still have a little blood and gums on them!" Tooth was shouting.Eugene laughed. "'Blood and gums'? When was the last time you hung out with children?""We're busy bringing joy to the children!" North objected. "We don't have time!"A pause."For children?" Hiccup prompted.None of the Guardians looked pleased with that answer, but all the same they didn't try to refute it.Jack rolled his eyes and walked up to them, carefully playing with a snowflake in his fingers. "Well, if one little kid can ruin Easter, then we're in worse shape than I thought." He let the snowflake drift through his fingers, and Hiccup watched as it collided straight with Bunny's face.Hiccup was expecting Bunny to start yelling. Instead, his face began to contort into a sheer look of…fun, that Hiccup had never seen on the Pooka before.If she had the time, Rapunzel would like nothing more to pain Bunnymund's Warren. Not a thing was lifeless inside. The flowers that sprayed the eggs different colors, the rivers full of dye, the eggs themselves as they marched along, not even getting into the exotic designs along the walls...The most interesting part to her, however, was the interactions between Bunny and Sophie. Bunny was showing her everything, making sure that she got to see every detail up close and personal. Sophie looked like she was having the time of her life. She didn't have any younger siblings, but Rapunzel figured that this would be what their relationship would be like. "They're rather cute together, don't you think?" She asked."Weel, I suppose…" Merida trailed off."You 'suppose'?" Rapunzel asked, trying her best to mimic the Scot's accent.Merida sighed. "I dunnoo…they remind me of my own siblings."There was silence between the two for a second while Rapunzel tried to think of what to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had such close siblings."Merida scoffed. "Hardly. They could get away wi' murder!"Rapunzel fell silent. She tried her best to hide her look of confusion, and pet Pascal mindlessly. Merida was just so different! She could never imagine acting around Mother the way Merida spoke about her family.But it was a good different.Jack crouched down next to Bunny. "Not bad, Cottontail." He said, watching the eggs as they traveled through the various tunnels."Not bad yourself." Bunny said. Surprisingly enough, it sounded sincere.Silence fell between them, as they were both more interested in watching the eggs as they went.Jack cleared his throat. "Listen, I just…" Oh, this wasn't going to be fun. "Sorry. For the, uh…kangaroo thing."Bunny laughed lowly. "It's the accent, isn' it?"Tooth and North joined them, so Jack decided to drop the sentimental part. Sophie yawned in-between them, and sprawled out in Bunny's arms. "Ah, looks like the littl' anklebiter's ready for bed.""I'll take her." Jack spoke up."But, Jack," Tooth started. "Pitch is-""No match for me. We've established this." Jack said. "Besides, you still have the others, so you'll be fine.""And the others—" North started."Can handle it." Jack cut him off. "We've evaded the Corona Guard, defeated the Demon Bear, and fought off Pitch. Together. And…I trust them."Tooth and North gave each other skeptical looks."I'll be back in time for Easter." Jack said. "I'll be as quick as a bunny!"A Baby Tooth was still sent with him for good measure. Figured.Carefully, Jack tried to peel Sophie off his neck. Even half-asleep (or perhaps because of it), she had quite the grip. Finally, he managed to get her at least somewhat on the bed.She tumbled off just as he stood up."Sophie? Is that you?" A new voice, probably her mom, spoke up from downstairs.Jack panicked. Quickly, he grabbed one of the blankets and tossed it over Sophie. That would at least make it probable that she just fell asleep and tumbled out of bed. For good measure, he tossed a stuffed toy as well. He practically scampered out the window, making sure to close it behind him, just in time for said mom to come up the stairs to investigate.He shot an apologetic look to Baby Tooth, who was looking ready to have a conniption. "We should head back." He said meekly.He froze as he heard something. It was a voice, calling out to him in low tones that even he was surprised he could hear. it sounded so familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "That voice…I know that voice…"He darted off before Baby Tooth could stop him.They waited four hours.Rapunzel was annoyed, certainly. Mostly, though, she was concerned. It wasn't like Jack to just up and leave them like that. He even said that he would be quick about it.She stopped her thoughts as a snowglobe entered her vision. She glanced back up to North, who was looking at her with a sparkle in his eyes. "Go ahead. You need to see lanterns."Rapunzel really wanted to wait for Jack. But…this was going to be the only chance she got. Her life was going to begin, now.With or without Jack.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Rapunzel stared in front of the kingdom for some time. Everything else seemed to be lost on her at the moment. Even Pascal couldn't grab her attention. Eugene was about to ask if something was wrong, but she shot him a look that looked like she was about to burst in an explosion of happiness and puppies and went chasing into the kingdom entrance.It was rather easy to find her again, all things considered. Seventy-feet of golden hair helped with that. Eugene, Hiccup and Merida went chasing after her, trying to gather hair out of the way from being stepped on by ignorant bystanders. Poor Blondie was looking rather lost herself, and was quickly trying to gather her hair and get out of everybody's way."Yeah…this isn't going to work." Hiccup admitted."Weel, what'dya suggest then?" Merida asked.Eugene scanned the village. It was going to be crowded, that much was obvious. Crowded and filled with tourists and townsfolk alike that wouldn't pay attention to stepping on someone's hair, especially when the person in question was all but out of sight.His eyes settled on a set of siblings, braiding hair. Eugene called their attention with a whistle, and with his head gestured to the piles of hair in his arms. Their faces lit up.About an hour later, Rapunzel now wore a body-sized braid that had been decorated with flowers. Not just one braid, Eugene realized after studying it carefully. Three braids that had been re-braided and compressed into one.The Kid was giving him a look. Eugene could tell. He didn't want to take his eyes off Blondie, though.A bed.In the middle of a forest.That was strange, to put it mildly.Jack carefully lifted up the bed, both because he didn't want to set off any alarms and because the bed looked so old it might as well have turned to dust under his fingers. Sure enough, there was a evenly dug hole underneath it. Good enough to climb down in.He brushed off Baby Tooth's protests. "Don't worry. There's still plenty of time."The voice came out again. "Jack?"He dove. It was dark, which made sense because they were underground, so it took a minute for his eyes to adjust. However, it was clear what was down there" cages. Cages hanging from anywhere they fit, all full of chirping, crying, Baby Tooths.The chirps seemed to change when Jack got there. Jack jumped from cage to cage. "Keep it down!" He whispered harshly. "I'm gonna find a way to get you out of here, just-""Jack?"Jack didn't really know why, but something compelled him to look down. Something just out of the corner of his eye. On the ground under him, there were hundreds, if not thousands, of golden capsules. Teeth. Jack jumped down into one of the piles, nearly scrambling through each capsule. It was a long shot, but maybe…"Looking for something?"Jack shot a blast of ice towards the shadow on the wall. The shadow moved, and Jack quickly dashed around the cave to its source."I'm not going to hurt you." Pitch said. Jack tracked him down to another one of the bridges across from him."Afraid?" Jack asked."Of course not. Why would I be afraid of you? But you're afraid."The ground fell from under Jack. The world turned black."You're afraid that no one will believe in Jack Frost. You're afraid, that no matter what you do or who you do it with, you'll never be remembered. And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why. So why was it that Jack Frost was chosen as a Guardian?"Jack scrambled to his feet."Well, fear not. Because the answers to those questions…" Pitch appeared in front of him. "Are all right here."Jack glanced down at what he was holding. A tooth cartridge. Hesitantly, Jack reached out for them, only for Pitch to disappear again.Pitch's disembodied laugh echoed through the cave. Jack readied himself for any attack. "Why did you end up like this, Jack? Unseen? Unheard? Unable to reach out to anyone for hundreds of years? You want the answers so badly…but you're afraid. You're afraid of what the Guardians might think. You're afraid of what your newfound friends might think. Well, let me ease you mind on this: they will never accept you."The shadows were growing closer and closer. Jack's confidence was shrinking and shrinking. He knew this game. He knew that Pitch was only trying to get inside his head and make him doubt himself. But he was right. "Stop it!" He shouted."After all, you're not one of them." Pitch approached him now."You don't know what I am!""Course I do! You're Jack Frost. Winter Spirit who nobody believes in. Winter Spirit who makes a mess wherever he goes. Why, you're doing it right now."The teeth cartridge was tossed Jack's way, and he fumbled with it for a second before he could catch it. He didn't even have a second to let himself be happy. "What did you do?""More to the point, Jack: what did you do?" Pitch vanished, his laughs filling the cave once again. "Happy Easter…"It had been a lucky find in a nearby bookstore. Granted, Hiccup realized they probably didn't have enough cash between even the four of them for the whole set, but the good thing about book stores was that they usually offered couches, or at least floors, where you could sit and read the book you wanted to buy.All four books in the Guardians of Childhood series.They were some kind of special printing. Or, books in Berk and Scotland were printed differently than in Corona; Hiccup couldn't tell. They actually had hard back covers, nice gold plating on the pages, and deep illustrations that Hiccup couldn't tear his eyes off of. The alphabet was also unfamiliar, both to him and Merida, but the stories were easily understood through the pictures.Nicholas St. North. Santa Claus. The Guardian of Wonder. A former bandit who became a Guardian by choosing to save children over himself.E. Aster Bunnymund. The Easter Bunny. The Guardian of Hope. The last of the pookas, who was chosen as a Guardian when he helped carve the planet into a more stable orbit.Toothinia. The Tooth Fairy. The Guardian of Memories. The Queen of Fairies who gained her powers and became a Guardian when she lost her last baby tooth.And finally, Sandy Mansnoozie. The Sand Man. The Guardian of Dreams. The very first Guardian, who had been fighting Pitch since the very start. Hiccup tried to ignore the fact that that story was over now.There wasn't a book on Pitch. No, that would be useful. But he always seemed to be there. And at the same time, there was also The Man in the Moon. Jack had said that the moon was the first thing that he had seen, and North had mentioned the 'Man in Moon' in passing more than a few times…Hiccup was beginning to wonder if The Man in the Moon would just show up to them and properly introduce himself, because right now Hiccup was totally lost.Maximus wasn't having a good day, and that was putting it lightly. And it was all the fault of one Flynn Rider and his runaway friends.After he had managed to pull himself out of the river, he had learned rather quickly that the two visiting nobles had left the castle, thinking they could do better looking for them on their own. Out of either a sense of desperation or pride, the Corona Guard immediately sped up their searches. He had been out nearly all night now, and still no luck.The sound of crunching leaves sounded behind him. He didn't bother to look.He was sure that his sentiment was shared among the other members of the guard in that he really didn't care about the missing royals. Corona had no obligation to either Berk or Scotland that exceeded trade, and they had only come to Corona in that it was the closest country between them that the two might have escaped to.Granted, they were right, but that was beside the point.Right now, his grudge fell with Flynn Rider. That pest had been a thorn in their side for too long. Petty thefts they could deal with. Even ignoring the humiliation that happened afterward, Flynn had taken it a step too far with taking the Tiara for the Lost Princess.The crunching noises grew closer. Finally, Maximus decided to take a look around. He didn't see anything, but that really didn't mean much. If he really was being pursued by something, they wouldn't be stupid enough to remain in plain sight.Maybe Flynn Rider would, he decided with some smugness.He closed his eyes, trying to listening for the sound again. It couldn't have been more than a few feet away...The sound rushed forward. Maximus braced himself and lowered himself into an attacking stance. He saw the mass of red-orange and grey heading towards him...and suddenly stopping."Hm." The man sorted. "'s just a horse."Maximus immediately snorted. He was not just a horse! He happened to be one of the Corona Guard's best steeds!He stopped when he saw the other person that the man was with. Long brown hair, eyes as green as the forest around them...the part that caught Maximus' eye was the golden crown across her head.Ah, that was it. They must have been the two nobles. Maximus straightened himself out into something more presentable."I told ya it was'nae a bear!" The man teased.The woman bristled. "I'm no' familiar with the land.""Even then, ye'd be hard pressed to find a white bear.""Even then, what's a horse doin' out in the middle of the woods?"Maximus took his as his cue. He reached into his saddle and grabbed one of the wanted posters. It was still a bit damp, but the picture at least was still visible. Once he held it up, there was an immediate shift in tone between the two humans."Ye've seen me daughter?" The woman asked.Maximus suddenly realized it would be very dangerous if he said no.There were plenty of things in Corona that grabbed Rapunzel's attention. The people, the buildings, the events...maybe it was just because the lanterns were apparently a big draw to the town, but Rapunzel thought that even if she lived there she wouldn't have time to absorb it all.But the thing that grabbed her attention the most was the mosaic. Granted, it was nothing attention grabbing. It only showed two people, who Rapunzel assumed were the King and Queen based on the crowns on their heads. In the Queen's arms was a baby, and Rapunzel couldn't help but feel a bit confused. Of course, she didn't remember what she looked like as a baby, but it must have been something like that. Long (comparatively, granted) blonde hair that contrasted greatly with the parent's brown, bright green eyes. Even the blanket she was in was the same color as her dress! Her attention fell lower to a family, where a young girl was explaining to an even younger brother the flowers they were offering.It must have been a coincidence. It's not like the artist would always be able to see the baby during the modeling process, so some artistic liberties must have been taken. Still, it was a bit too uncanny for Rapunzel's liking.Her attention was drawn as a group of musicians passed her."Hey, Blondie! I got you a present!" Eugene lowered the small flag once he saw where Rapunzel was.Right in the center of the square, Rapunzel was dancing with a group of troubadours, drawing in quite the crowd. It was obvious to all just how much she was enjoying herself, and occasionally she would rush to the crowd and pull in some more to dance with her. Now quite the group was forming.The Kid was giving him a look again. This time he actually bothered to give him a look back. However, this was pretty fruitless, because Carrot Top the Bear Slayer decided to push him into the dance. He scowled at them as a partner picked him up.Eugene wasn't too bad at dancing. Granted, he'd prefer to be doing something more manly with his time, but he when the occasion came, he could manage. And it looked like several of the villagers shared his viewpoint (though, granted, when you pull off random people off a street, you're going to get some mixed results). But it was obvious that Rapunzel was stealing the spotlight. She was dancing as naturally as she was breathing.No. It wasn't so much that she was a natural, Eugene realized as he just barely passed getting her as a next partner. It was the look of sheer, unadulterated fun that was clear on her face, in every step she took, in every spin and every duck out of the circle to grab more partners. She was radiating happiness, and it was hard to hide a smile.Just as he managed to grab her, the music ended.Eugene would've kicked himself if she wasn't in front of him. No. He couldn't do that. She blackmailed him. She dragged him back to the place he was supposed to be hiding from. She's going to go back to her Tower and leave him forever.He could not be falling in love. He couldn't even be falling in crush with her."TO THE BOATS!"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Toothless flew over the skies of Corona. He was a Night Fury, so even if everyone's eyes were on the sky right now, he went relatively undetected. He had settled on one of the towers coming out of the castle, a perfect view of the ocean in front of them. Hiccup rewarded his search with an apple."D'yah think Jack's gonna make it?" Merida asked.Hiccup shrugged. "He probably just got involved with another Easter thing. I'm sure he's fine."Neither of them wanted to call him out on the white lie.Hiccup instead focused on the ocean down below them. Though he couldn't be too sure, he was positive that he had spotted the canoe Eugene had gotten himself and Rapunzel. It had been rather amusing to listen to him figure out an excuse for why it couldn't fit him, Merida, or Jack should he arrive; amusing to see the Lady-Killer extraordinaire be reduced to a love-stricken teenager. Hiccup was almost pretty positive that either Eugene hadn't realized that was what he was doing, or he was deliberately trying to avoid saying it out loud. Still, Hiccup liked this solution. It might not be the best view they could have gotten, but this wasn't the best days of their lives, now was it?Or rather…it was the best day of his life, both of these days that didn't really seem to end had been, but it wasn't the same way it was Rapunzel's. Rapunzel had been waiting her whole life for this, while Hiccup had just been at the wrong place, wrong time. Still, he couldn't regret it. This had been the first time he really felt…accepted. Sure, he had been liked at the Dragon Training, but only because he was lying to people the whole time. Toothless had accepted him, and while he could never hate Toothless (or at least anymore; he was quite angry at the time when he realized he couldn't kill him), it wasn't the same as having human companions that weren't either picking on you or expecting too much of you. It was a nice feeling, one that he didn't want to get rid of just yet."Hiccup?" Merida spoke softly. "Ye alright?"Hiccup was glad that it was pitch dark, because the blush on his face would have been really noticeable. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just…thinking."Rapunzel leaned out on the boat. It couldn't be too long, now. In a few minutes, the lanterns would come up, and she would have her dream.She sighed."Is something wrong?" Eugene asked.Yes. Everything was. Nothing was. "I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming of seeing the lanterns hit the sky. What if it's not everything I thought it would be?"Eugene seemed to think about this before giving her a quiet, but confident, "It will be.""And what if it's not?" Rapunzel asked. "Then that do I do?""Well, that's the good part, I suppose." Eugene said. "You get to find a new dream."Out of the corner of her eye, Rapunzel saw it. The first lantern. She scrambled to get a better view, disregarding the fact that she was making the boat shake. It was small, just barely making a mark in the sky, and it floated alone. However, it was the cue for the others. Hundreds-thousands even, of lanterns began disembarking from the town, following their leader. It was the cue for the official boats around them to set loose their lanterns. In nearly a minute, everything was clear and bright, and the lanterns filled the sky.Rapunzel sighed as she leaned against the boat. She had thought it would be wonderful. A feeling that would make her feel like she was soaring up with the lanterns herself. It wasn't what she expected. It was even better.She turned back, surprised to see two more lanterns. Eugene gave her a look.At first, Rapunzel reached out, ready to send it flying. But she thought better of it. If she had decided to do this before the lanterns, she would have regretted it. She knew that. But it was like something had changed now. It was like her entire perception had shifted."I want to give you something too." She held out the satchel. "I wanted to give it to you before, but I was just…scared. And now I'm not so scared anymore…you know what I mean?"Eugene put down the lantern and lowered the satchel. "I'm starting to."Jack knew where he was almost instantly. The park in Burgess. The Easter Egg Hunt. And if the small crowd of disappointed children slowly meandering away was any guess, it was over now and no one found any eggs.But that was impossible! He had only been in Pitch's Lair for an hour, if that. How did everything get so screwed up?"Jack! Where have you been?!" North called out to him. The voice didn't sound right for him. It was…weak. Strained. Jack was about to ask why when he began to explain. "Nightmares attacked the tunnels. Every egg destroyed, every basket smashed…nothing made it out alright."Jack was at a loss for words. When he finally could find his voice again, he was cut off. "Jack!" Tooth flew right up to him. Nearly instantly, her eyes widened. "Where's Baby Tooth!? …Where did you get that?"It then occurred to him that the tooth capsule was still in his hands. He tried to say something, anything, again, but his mouth still refused to function. Then again, he supposed there wasn't anything he could say. What was he going to try; that Pitch gave it to him? That he was hanging out with Pitch for a bit and left Baby Tooth behind? That it wasn't his fault he screwed everything up?He saw Bunny, huddled over and sitting far away from them. A child walked right through him. No.Jack flew off, hardly noticing the weight leaving his pocket as North's doll fell out.They found him.He didn't know how, but they found him.And they knew they found him, too. He could just make out Eyepatch gesture at him with him ominous green lantern, egging him on before they disappeared into the shadows again."Is everything…okay?" Rapunzel asked."Uh…yeah. I just..." He glanced around. Most of the lanterns had gone now, and by the time they actually made it to shore they would all be. The lanterns were done. Blondie got to live out her dream, so problem solved. "I gotta go take care of some things real quick."Rapunzel blinked at him. "Okay." She said quietly. Oh god, she was so perfect and good and kind and he was screwing everything up!Their trip to shore was silent, save for the occasional apology he managed to sputter out. Once he pulled in, he did a quick glance of the area. It was far away enough from the brothers, so she wouldn't get caught in a fight, and even if she did, there was a (admittedly scary looking) cave she could hide in. Perfect."I'm really sorry. Everything's okay, I just…gotta take care of something. I'll be back soon." Eugene said as he grabbed the satchel and ran off.The green light of the lantern engulfing the area was his cue that he found the right place."Ah, there you are!" Flynn Rider said. "I've been looking everywhere for you since we got separated. Hey, the sideburns are coming in really nice there."Sideburns glared at him, still whittling away with a sword that could probably easily kill him.Eugene coughed."Anyhow, just wanted to say: shouldn't have split, the crown is yours, I'll miss ya, but I think it's for the—" Flynn got cut off as he bumped into Eyepatch. "Best.""Holdin' out on us again, Rider?" Sideburns said, not bothering to look up at him."What?""We heard you found something far more valuable than a crown." Sideburns stopped his work and walked up to him. The sword came dangerously close to his neck. "We want the girl."Flynn gulped.He couldn't do it. Try as he might, Jack could not throw his teeth away. At the same time, though, he couldn't look at them, either. Not after all the trouble they caused.Jack stood there for who knows how long. He was in the middle of Antarctica, so it wasn't like he was going to be disturbed. But even if he wasn't, if he was in the middle of New York City or something, he wouldn't be seen anyway. They didn't believe in the Tooth Fairy, or Sandman, or Bunny…why would they believe in Jack Frost?"I was afraid this would happen." Pitch spoke. Instantly, Jack felt his blood boil. "They didn't really believe in you. I was just trying to show you that. I understand."Jack fired a blast of ice straight at him. Pitch dodged effortlessly, but Jack didn't stop there. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" He roared as he launched another assault."I understand what it's like to be CAST OUT!" Pitch retaliated by sending a blast of his sand his way. Jack dodged, firing more ice as a make-shift shield."To NOT BE BELIEVED IN!" Another wave of shadows.With a roar, Jack launched another blast of ice at it, freezing and crystallizing it nearly instantly.Pitch breathed. "To long for a family."Jack froze. He studied Pitch, never leaving his battle stance. Pitch looked oddly genuine. Oddly hurt.For a moment, Jack was ready to turn aside and not care, but Pitch continued. "I spent so many years, alone in the shadows, and I thought that nobody else knows what this feels like. But now I know I was wrong. We don't have to be alone, Jack. I believe in you, and I know children will, too!""…you mean it?" Jack asked quietly, still collecting his breath.Pitch laughed. "Just look at what we can do!" He gestured to the remnants of the fight; the large statue of ice and Nightmare Sand. "What else can go better than cold and dark! We'll make them believe in us, and we'll make everything—""Pitch Black?" Jack asked.Pitch froze. "And Jack Frost, too." He offered meekly, but it was too late. If Pitch had an illusion, it was shattered now."They won't believe in us." Jack said. "They'll fear us. And that's not what I want. Now for the last time: leave me alone."Jack spun on his heel."Very well." Pitch spoke again, as cool and as calculating as usual. "But first, I believe I have something you want."Jack glanced over his shoulder. He instantly spun around when he saw what it was. His staff."I'll admit, it took me a while to find this." Pitch said, as casually as if they had been talking about the weather. "You hid it quite well. I would too. I wouldn't want it to get damaged."Effortlessly, Pitch swung it into both hands and snapped it in half.Jack's world turned white. It probably would have been less painful if Pitch had stabbed him in the stomach. He heard himself screaming, and felt himself huddle down to the floor in pain. Something knocked him backwards, and Jack felt himself fall."It's alright, Pascal." Rapunzel repeated. "He'll be back in a minute."She felt a big sigh of relief as she saw a figure approaching her. "Oh, good. I thought you were about to make off with the crown and leave me."He didn't respond. The shadowy figure became two. "He did, Girlie." A voice said, one she didn't recognize.Rapunzel blinked. "What-no! He wouldn't do that!""Oh really?" The figures came into sight. Thugs. Big, scary thugs with probably sharp teeth. Rapunzel dimly recognized them as the two Flynn had tried so hard to run away from back at the Snuggly Duckling-oh no.One of the figures gestured over to the sea. Rapunzel glanced over, just barely making out the shape of a boat. And somebody piloting it."No…but that's…" She stammered, trying to find any excuse."It seemed like a fair trade." The other thug spoke. "A crown in exchange for the girl with the magic hair."Oh, no no no! Rapunzel scrambled. She didn't have many other options. Her hair was tied, which was useful in running, and Hiccup had her frying pan…She yelped as her hair pulled back. Stuck. She turned and yanked, trying to get it out as fast as possible…"RAPUNZEL!"Rapunzel froze. Mother? But she couldn't have…The thugs weren't chasing her anymore, so Rapunzel decided to take a chance and walk back. Right where the thugs had been was now Mother, holding a club and panting heavily.Mother dropped the club as soon as she saw her, holding her arms wide. Rapunzel wasted no time in rushing into them. "Oh my precious little girl…I was so worried about you, so I followed you and…come on! Let's go before they come to!"Mother rushed off, but Rapunzel lingered. She focused on the ship. She still didn't want to think it was possible…she knew Eugene, he wouldn't do this! Not after everything they've been through! Not after…She glanced back to Mother, who was waiting for her with wide arms. Rapunzel tried to choke back the tears. Mother was right. Mother knew best."Where are they!" Merida growled. "They were suppose ta be here an hour ago!""Maybe they got held up?" Hiccup offered."Wi' wot?""You saw the way they were looking at each other. Maybe they got busy?"Merida grimaced, and Hiccup tried to hold back his laughter. Still, her question lingered. Where were they? They knew better than to just rush off on them…at least, he hoped.A loud whinny cut Hiccup off from his thought process. Oh no. He knew that whinny. That was from the fencing horse. And if he wasn't wanted before, he certainly was now after he beat up the Castle Guard. He scrambled for the frying pan, and Merida readied her bow. The horse started to come just into vision…Toothless sprung first. He let out an awful cry that rang through the air and aimed a fireball straight at the approaching figure. As soon as it visibly hit, Toothless was off, even quicker than Hiccup would have reacted. He pounced on the horse in a way that looked like he was fighting a dragon. In a way that looked like he was about to kill the poor horse."TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup cried out. That was enough to divert his attention.Toothless stared at him with calculating eyes, both in a way to make sure he was safe and to make sure he wasn't hurt."It's okay. We're safe.""Hiccup?"Oh no. "Dad?"Two more figures came into sight, this time both human. The first was a woman, around his father's age perhaps, who, once upon a time, might have looked well together but now looked like they had just been through Hel. The other was unmistakable. His father."Mom!" Merida cried. Her mother? If Hiccup wasn't distracted by the fight in front of him, he would have had a lot of questions.But he was. Specifically, he was distracted by the fact that Stoick the Vast was charging with his axe straight towards Toothless the Night Fury."Waitwaitwaitwait!" Hiccup rushed up in front of Toothless, trying his best to shield the dragon several times his size. "It's okay! Toothless' not going to hurt us!""Toothless?" Stoick raised an eyebrow at him. The full implications of this hit. "You named it?!""Dad, wait!""You caught yerself a dragon, and ye named it Toothless! Hiccup, do you realize what you're doin? This is a Night Fury! They've killed hundreds of our people!""And we've killed thousands of them!" Hiccup argued back."Merida, we're leaving." Merida's mom spoke firmly but collectively as she grabbed Merida by the arm."Mom, wait!" Merida tried to break her grasp. Tried to come back to them and his fight."We've waited long enough, Merida. Do ye realize what your little stint did there? The whole kingdom's at war now!""But Mom—""Enough!" Stoick didn't quite shout, but it was loud enough for all other activities to freeze. "Elinor, go ahead. We'll catch up."Elinor accepted this as an answer. Merida, however, didn't. She left kicking and screaming, but eventually, they did go.His dad looked down on him. Then back to Toothless. "So all of this was just an act?"Oh Thor that voice. That voice that just spelled out betrayal."No! I mean, yes, but I thought everything was fixed and now it's not and—""And I honestly thought we were getting through to ya this time." He moved again. Toothless bristled."No, please, Dad! Take it out on me! Take everything out on me, just don't hurt him!"He was ignored. Quickly, efficiently, Toothless was bound. It didn't even look like he was trying to fight back. Hiccup glanced one more time at the Night Fury. Those eyes were still calculating, still trying to make sure he wasn't hurt, and they almost hurt more than one of his plasma bolts."We'll leave in the morning." Stoick announced. "With his help, we'll be setting out to the Dragon's Nest."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Stoick had been right. They left for the Dragon's Nest almost immediately after they had reached Berk, which hadn't been too long considering the usual ride there but also felt far too long for Hiccup."You must feel terrible." Astrid brought up. "You've lost everything; your father, your tribe, your best friend…""Thank you for summing that up." Hiccup sighed. "Why couldn't I kill him when I found him in the woods? Everything would have been so much better…""Well, yeah. Any one of us would have done it."
Thank you again, Astrid!
"So why didn't you?"Hiccup didn't have an answer."Why didn't you?" Astrid repeated. This time, her tone was much more sincere and surprisingly soft. Soft by Viking standards, at least. Soft by Astrid standards."I don't know! I couldn't!" He paced around."Why couldn't you, then?""Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?!"Astrid forcefully grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around, so they were facing eye to eye now. "Because I want to remember your answer. I want to remember what you said: right here, right now."Hiccup broke her grasp. His arms flailed around him as he tried to find any answer aside from whatever he just said. "I don't know! I wouldn't! I wouldn't kill a dragon!""You said 'wouldn't' that time." Astrid pointed out."Whatever!" Hiccup collapsed again and turned away. "300 years, and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon."For a moment, Astrid didn't say anything. Hiccup was about to walk away when she spoke again. "First to ride one, though."Hiccup froze again."Sooo…" Astrid prompted."I wouldn't kill him…because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him…and I saw myself."Astrid seemed satisfied with this answer. The soft, comforting demeanor dropped for her more used one. "Bet he's really frightened now. What're you going to do about it?"That was what Hiccup needed to hear. Instantly, his mind began racing as he formulated a plan. He still had North's snowglobe; even with wibbly-wobbly space, he could probably get to the Dragon's Nest before any of the Vikings did. But even if he did that, there was no way he could stop all the Vikings and/or dragons on his own."Probably something stupid.""Good start. But you've already done that.""Then I'm going to do something crazy." He raced off to the Dragon Training stadium.Word traveled quickly that Flynn Rider had been captured. Shortly after Maximus had reunited the nobles with their children, he had been informed of this and was allowed to resume his normal duties. When they had discovered his help in assisting the visiting nobles, they had given him some extra time off to recover, and things had returned to normal after that.But something still wasn't quite right.Maximus was on the verge of pacing around his stable. He only didn't because he was still sore from that oversized lizard attacking him. That, and being washed through a breaking dam. And his fight with Rider earlier than even that. Really, there were a lot of reasons for him to be sore.But there weren't any reasons for it to not feel right?Did he have any sympathy for Rider? No...not yet, at least. It would take a lot for him to give Flynn the time of day, let alone sympathy. He hadn't learned what happened to the girl with long hair, so he didn't see the need to give her any sympathy, either. He saw no need to give either of the royals sympathy; they had gotten what they wanted.So who was he feeling bad for, then?His mind went to the royal's children. Was it them? There hadn't been any sign that they were abused or the like, so he didn't feel bad in returning them to their proper legal guardians.No...it was what they said."The entire country's at war." "We'll be setting for the Dragon's Nest at noon." Something was going on between the two of them. How could a little redheaded girl cause an entire war? What was the Dragon's Nest, why was he so set on going there, and why was his son trying to do everything he could to stop it? And what would cause two nobles from opposite countries to run to an even different country in a very short period of time, team up with a notorious thief, and surrender right after the lanterns? And where did the girl with the long hair fit into all of this?There was a mystery here, and Maximus had to solve it. And there was only one person he could find that could help him with this.He was going to get court-martial for this, he just knew it.Maximus ran for the Snuggly Duckling.Eugene paced around his cell, trying to figure out any weakness it had. He had no plan. He had no weapons. He had nothing on him. Where was the giant, fire-breathing lizard when you needed it? Or the teleporting snowglobes! Or the Winter Spirit, the Viking, the Princess, and the Girl with the Magic Hair!How had he managed to screw up so much?The cell door opened, squeaking loudly as it did. Eugene whipped around to come face to face with three guards. "Let's get this over with, Rider." The apparent leader of them spoke.Eugene swallowed, trying very hard not to look as terrified as he felt. "Where to?"The guards gave him a look, and Eugene's hand instinctively went to his throat. "Oh." He squeaked.Efficiently and quickly, the two other guards cuffed him and grouped together on him. He tried to offer as much of a fight as possible, but he really couldn't bring himself to more than a few token nudges. The main guard led him out of the cell and down to the gallows, and Eugene was forced to follow.Out of the corner of his eye, Eugene was something sparkle. Which was weird, because the prison didn't allow for much sunlight. He glanced up, and before the guard could force his head down again he saw it.A ceramic unicorn no bigger than his pinkie finger.That couldn't be right. Even if the thugs from the Snuggly Duckling had been captured, they certainly wouldn't let them keep their personal items. He at least knew that much. In the back of his mind, he dared himself to hope.Just as they were about to step out, the door slammed shut in their face. Other doors around them slammed shut as well. They were alone.The guard banged on the door. "Open up!"The window slid open, revealing the old geezer. Eugene bit back a chuckle."Wazza' password?" He slurred."What?""Nope.""Open this door!""No' even close!" The old man nearly scoffed, and Eugene thought he probably would be scoffing if he weren't drunk."YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO OPEN THIS DOOR BY ORDER OF THE CORONA GUARD!" The guard shouted. Well, Eugene thought, at least he got to see a show before the end."One—" Suddenly, Eugene felt his left side again. He glanced up just in time to see the guard being hoisted up by a hook hand."Two—" The door beside them opened, and large, beefy hands grabbed the second guard before either of them could say anything. The helmet fell to the ground, rattling slightly."Three…" The head guard looked his way. Eugene offered a small wave (as much as he could with the handcuffs and all). A fleeting look of panic crossed his face before he too was knocked unconscious.Gaston held up the frying pan."Who knew, right?"It was dark. And cold. And Jack was so, so afraid.He figured this was as close to dying as an immortal Winter Spirit could get. In the back of his mind, he thought this might not be so far off from the real thing. The staff had all of his powers. Who knew what could happen when it broke?Jack regained his vision enough to make out one, solitary figure with him. A bright blue light that flowed like a lit flame. A Will-o-Wisp. He winced and glanced away. No good. Still too much guilt. Wisps reminded him of Merida, and that reminded him of Hiccup, and Eugene, and Rapunzel, and the Guardians and…He let them down. Easter was ruined. Rapunzel would never see her lanterns. Pitch was going to win. He let them all down.Jack managed to crawl back up, trying to rest as comfortably on the stone as he could. It was cold, but when had that bothered him? He usually didn't need to sleep, but right now that was sounding like something he couldn't avoid…"Jack? Jack!"A warmth filled his stomach. Jack leapt back, not used to the sensation. He glanced around him, trying to find the source. The Wisp darted forward, now settling near his pocket. The Teeth Container was glowing a bright gold.Well, he supposed it was now or never. Carefully, Jack placed a finger on the container.Memoires flooded his train of thought. Memories of laughter and of summer. Memories of a family with a mother and sister and all of her younger friends. Memories of him, standing on a frozen pond, and seeing the pure terror in his sister's eyes as the ice cracked from under her."Easy now, it's going to be okay. You have to believe in me. We're just…going to play a little game.""Jack! I'm scared!""It's fine! Would I trick you?""Yes! You do it all the time!""Well, I'm not tricking you now. It's fine. It'll be just like Hopscotch; like we play every day. Watch."A large branch, that had, by some miracle, been just been the exact size and shape he needed it to be. He hopped over, carefully exaggerating his motions so, at the very least, he could get a laugh out of her."Alright. Now one," A small step onto the ice. The ice cracked, ready to break. "Two," He readied the branch. "Three!"Everything happened at once. He yanked her out of the way, spinning her and tossing her to the thicker side of the ice. All of a sudden, he was the one on very thin ice. The ice cracked, and he fell.And then Jackson Overland Frost saw the moon. It became dark, and it became cold.Rapunzel felt the last strands of hair fall out of the braid as Mother took out the pinning flower. "There. Now it never happened."Mother stood up and began walking out. "Now wash up for dinner. I'm making Hazelnut Soup!"Rapunzel didn't stir."Rapunzel, I tried to warn you." Mother said with a sigh. "The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of hope, it destroys it."Rapunzel glanced up slightly as the curtains closed. She could feel Pascal curling up next to her in a sort of affectionate gesture, but she didn't acknowledge him. Now that Mother was gone, Rapunzel dared to uncup her hands. Inside was the flag that Eugene had given her.It didn't make any sense. None of it did. Why would Eugene have done all of this for her if he was just going to sell her off in the end? Why would…why would he have nearly kissed her?And Hiccup and Merida and Jack…Rapunzel collapsed onto the bed as she thought about it. Even if Eugene didn't care for her, that didn't stop them from not. They fought together, they had traveled to a whole different dimension together…they were supposed to stay together. And Rapunzel didn't even really get a chance to say goodbye. She didn't even really get a chance to give Hiccup back his helmet, or Jack his staff…Rapunzel's train of thought shut down. She was seeing something out of the corner of her eye. Carefully, she glanced up to see it wholly. It was just the paining in her room. She knew that picture like the back of her hand. It was one of the first things she'd ever painted. She'd know if something was there…She held up the flag in her hand for comparison. Her eyes darted back and forth to the ceiling and to the flag as realization hit her. The floral design on her ceiling was an exact replica of the solar print in her hands. She stood and began looking around wildly. There was another. And another! They were all over her room, but why?Memories filled her train of thought. Memories of cradles and mobiles. Memories of sunlight designs everywhere she could look. Memories of figures in brown and purple. Just like the King and Queen. And if she had to guess what she would have looked like as a kid, it would be a small girl with hair as tall as she was and bright green eyes...The crown had fit her perfectly. The tiara of the Lost Princess.Rapunzel collided into her dresser. Pascal was giving her a worried glance, but she brushed him off as she ran out of her room. Mother was calling out to her, slightly worried, but Rapunzel tuned it out. She needed to know, and she needed to know now."I'm the lost princess."Mother froze. A second later, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on now, Rapunzel, you know how I hate the mumbling!""I AM THE LOST PRINCESS!" Rapunzel said. "Aren't I?" Just a second or two passed, but that was all Rapunzel needed to confirm it. "Did I mumble that time, Mother?"Chaos was breaking out in Castle Dun'Broch. Merida could only see through a keyhole, but it was enough to make sense out of most what was going on. Four make-shift blockades had been set up in the dining hall. Arrows, and the occasional spear, flew through the air freely."NO MORE TALK! NO MORE TRADITIONS! WE SETTLE THIS NOW!" Lord Macguffin was yelling on about."YOU'RE THE KING! YOU DECIDE WHO GETS TA MARRY YA DAUGHTER!" Lord Mackintosh added.Merida could see her dad rise up from the DunBroch barricade, unsheathing his sword and raising his shield. "NONE OF YA SONS ARE FIT TA MARRY MY DAUGHTER!" He roared, in a gesture that would have been heartwarming to her if he wasn't in the middle of a battle."THEN THIS MEANS WAR!"Merida stepped back as an arrow flew a bit too uncomfortably close to her line of vision. What did they think they were doing! They were going to murder each other if they kept up like this!Through all the sound and fury, a light sigh reached Merida's ears. She whipped around to find the source. A Wisps."Oh, what d'ya wont?" She hissed at him and turned back to look back at the fight.Then the Wisp was right in front of her. She jumped back. The Wisp floated in front of her for a second, before changing into a larger, more human form. The same for it took when she killed Mor'du."You've made quite a mess here." He didn't quite speak, more like the words imposed themselves onto Merida's mind for him.Merida tried to shake them off. "I dinnae cause this!"Mor'du didn't reply.Merida rolled her eyes. "This all would'nae happened if Mother didn't try to arrange me up for marriage!""This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run away.""I'm sorry, weren' ye the ones that were bendin' time and space so we could all meet!?" Merida demanded.Mor'du didn't answer."If ye don' have any advice, just leave me alone."The Wisp complied, and soon faded from vision.Merida rubbed at her eyes. Though she didn't want to admit it, Mor'du had been right. She caused this. She was…stupid, and reckless, and exactly what her Mother didn't want her to be. And her stupid actions were causing the entire kingdom to fall apart.Realization dawned on her. She had changed her fate before. She changed the fates of those around her. But now, now she could change the fate of Scotland.The fight stopped as soon as everyone saw Merida walk in. In the back of her mind, Merida wondered whether it was because it was 'improper to fight in front of a lady', but she didn't care. She walked forward calmly and slowly, and stood in front of the room, at the Dun'Broch barricade."What're doin' lass?" Dad asked."It's all right." Merida cleared her throat and faced the crowd. Princesses enunciate. Princesses can be heard clearly and loudly across any room. Merida was hoping that this would be one of the only times she really had to put these lessons to use."I…eh…" She cleared her throat again. Great, she was already blowing it. The images of a whole –out war breaking out in her dining room made her a bit more confident in what she was doing. "I apologize for me absence. I have…been in conference with the Quin.""Is that so?" Lord Macguffin asked as he crawled over his barricade."Aye. It is." Merida spoke again, with enough venom in her tone to make it clear he should really just stop and let her speak.He didn't comply. Actually, that only provoked the other Lords to leave their barricade and approach her. "And just where is the Quin?""She…""How do we know you're not tricking us?""I'd never-"More and more questions came Merida's way, but she couldn't make them all out. They were all yelling over each other, and that was causing the others to murmur amongst themselves. The lords were getting closer and closer, as if they were itching to fight, and more and more questions were being shouted her way…"SHUT IT!" Merida hollered. Her voice echoed in the dining hall. It was quiet, save for the whimpering of one of the dogs and her dad's nervous chuckling.Merida cleared her throat. Bad start. "Well. I uh…"But their attention was on her now. She could fix this. She could change her fate."Once, there was an ancient kingdom…""What is this?"Merida decided to keep going. "And that kingdom fell into war. And chaos, and ruin—""We've all heard this story before!" Lord Mackintosh rolled his eyes."Aye, but it's true!" Merida replied. "I know now how one selfish act can ruin a kingdom.""If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd go for the Gronkle."Hiccup whirled around at the voice. Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snoutlat approached him, clearly being led by Astrid.Ruffnut approached him, getting dangerously close to Hiccup's personal bubble. "You were smart to seek the help of the world's most deadly weapon.""I—" Hiccup started."Me, by the way. I'm the world's most dangerous weapon."Snoutlat cut in, shoving Ruffnut off. "I, for one, love this plan!"He too was cut off by Tuffnut. "You're crazy. I like that."Astrid had to pull her off. "So what is the plan?"Hiccup took a moment to admire the scene in front of him. Only a second though; there was still a war at hand. "Okay. So we're going to release these dragons, and you're going to fly to the Dragon's Nest. Don't worry about getting lost; all dragons know where it is. With any luck we can beat my dad and the others there. If not—""You said 'you're'." Astrid pointed out. "How do you fit into this plan?"Hiccup opened the cage to the Monstrous Nightmare. "I'm going to get reinforcements."Elinor came into the room. She was expecting chaos and fights, of course. And while it did look like there were signs of it, there weren't any battles going on at present. She glanced over the crowd of the Dingwall clan, her eyes widening as she saw Merida addressing them.She was speaking loud and clearly, as a good princess stood. Her posture was perfect, her voice clear and concise-what was she doing?"Legends are lessons," She was saying. "Our kingdom is young, and we are not yet legends. But our bond was struck, and our faets were changed."Our clans used ta be enemies, but when our kingdom was threatened, we stuck together. You fought for each other, not against! Lord Macguffin! My father saved ye from an arrow when ye rushed to Dingwall's aid!""Aye. And I'll never forget it." Lord Macguffin nodded respectfully towards Fergus, who returned the favor."An' Lord Mackintosh!" Merida continued. "Ye saved my dad, charging in on horse and holdin' off the advance! An' we all know how Lord Dingwall broke the enemy lines!""With a mighty throw of his spear!" Lord Mackintosh shouted a clearly well-rehearsed line."I was aimin' at ye, ye big tumshine!" Lord Dingwall replied, causing a ripple of laughter to shake through the crowd."The story of this kingdom is a powerful one!" Merida continued. Her style was changing. She wasn't the calm, proper princess she was trying to be a few minutes ago. She was still recognizably trying to hold control, but she was now much more calm and collected with herself. She was Merida. "My dad rallied your forces and you made him your king. It was an alliance forged in bravery and friendship, and it lives to this day."A cheer rang through the crowd. It was clear to Elinor now. She was this close to burying her face in her hands, but she thought better of it. This whole time, she had been trying to make Merida into a princess, when Merida already was one.Merida collapsed a little. "But I've been selfish. I've torn a great rift in this kingdom. And I know now I need to fix this mistake. And mend our bond." Merida was looking right at her as she spoke. Elinor tried to mime out just how proud of her she was, but she was fairly positive it wasn't having as much effect as she wanted."So here's the matter of my betrothal. I've decided to do what's right, and…"If Elinor were in front of the crowd, right there with Merida, she wouldn't have dared to do this. Instantly, she began gesturing wildly, trying to call Merida's attention onto her. Merida focused on her again, a fact that was mostly lost on the Lords.Elinor began signing rapidly."Break…tradition?" Merida ended it in mostly a question.There was a gasp from the crowd. Elinor continued, and Merida followed."My mother…the Quin, feels…in her heart, that I…that we, be free to…write…our own story. Follow our own paths. And find love in our own time. The Quin and I put the decision to you, my lords. Might our young people decide for themselves who they will love?"There was a collective sniffle from the lords. "Well, if we've all made up our minds on this," Lord Mackintosh spoke. "I feel confident in saying that this—""Is a grand idea!" Young Mackintosh answered. With the attention now on him, he continued. "Give us our own say in choosing our faet!""Aye!" Young Dingwall echoed. "Why shouldn't we choose our faet!?""But she's the princess!" Lord Dingwall answered."I didnae pick her out. That was all your idea.""And you?" Lord Macguffin turned to his son. "Ya feel the same way?"Young Macguffin answered in his unintelligible accent. Elinor was just able to make out a weak "Good?", and she felt that the rest of the room was only able to as well."So it seems we agree for once!" Lord Macguffin spoke. "Let these lads win her heart before they win her hand! If they can." He added.Jack leaped back as the vision faded. It wasn't like it hurt him. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Jack suddenly felt like he had a lot more energy than before. A family. He had a family! With a mother and a sister! A sister he saved!He slowed down as the realization hit him. "That's why you chose me." He whispered aloud, letting his gaze fall up. A full moon shone directly overhead. "I'm…I am a Guardian."Jack didn't let himself relish in this victory for much longer. If he was a Guardian, then he needed to be with the others to fight Pitch. Even if they didn't want him anymore, which he would admittedly understand, he still needed to be there. And if he was going to be there…he needed allies.No. He needed friends.He used the last of his energy to dart over to his staff. Carefully, he picked up both pieces and held them together. He could do this. He'd frozen things over a thousand times. What was one more?There was a spark, but the pieces slipped apart. Jack groaned. Even if he couldn't use his powers again, just one more!Another spark. A blue light engulfed the cut, and soon engulfed the whole staff. The staff, cold and icy as it were, was whole. And when had he let the cold bother him anyway?Jack let himself breathe a sigh of relief before he shot straight up. He grabbed the snowglobe from out of his pocket and tossed it forward.Merida saw Jack much quicker than he saw her. He kind of stuck out like a sore thumb among the dark greens and yellows.She was also the first to act. "EVERYONE!" She called. "TO THE CELLAR! For…WE'LL CELEBRATE WITH THE KING'S PRIVATE COLLECTION OF WINES!"There was nothing that could clear a room full of Scotsman like the promise of alcohol, even despite her father's protesting. All that remained where her, her mother, and Jack.Jack tried to get to her first, but Merida had something to deal with. She rushed forward, colliding with her mother into a giant bear-hug."Merida, I'm so proud—""Mother." Merida cut her off, turning suddenly serious. She broke the hug, making direct eye contact with her. "I'm sorry, but I need ta go again."Her mother blinked. "But Merida—""I promise I'll come back, and when I do, ye can ground me for as long as ye like. But right now, something I really care about's in trouble."She ignored her mother's protest as she got to the door. "MERIDA!" Her mother finally stopped her with a voice that echoed through the room and caused the dogs to whine again.Merida froze.Her mother stared at her for a second before she collapsed again. "Stay safe."Merida blinked. That was an order. Merida nodded, turned back to the door, and stopped herself again. "Hold on!" She called, more for Jack's benefit. "There's still something I need ta get!"She rushed upstairs, and returned with the tapestry and some sewing supplies.Eugene froze as he made it to the courtyard. It was like every guard in Corona was at that one prison at that one time, and they were all prepared for this outcome. That wouldn't surprise him, really; he had made quite the reputation as Flynn Rider…Hook grabbed him and move him to safety. "Head down." He ordered."Head down!" Eugene complied."Arms in.""Arms in!""Feet apart.""Feet apar—why—why feet apart?"Eugene sailed through the air. He screamed, not even caring how unmanly that sounded to anyone who happened to be passing by. It wasn't the hard pavement he landed on. Instead it seemed to be some kind of saddle. He glanced at what it was attacked to. The Guard Horse. The same horse that he narrowly escaped from three times. He was about to stand back up and bail for it when the Guard Horse gave him an expectant look.Realization dawned on Eugene. "You…brought them here?"The horse gave a confident whinny as a response.Eugene still couldn't move. He tried clearing his throat and turned back down to the horse. "No, really, thank you. I feel like, this whole time we've just been misunderstanding each other and…"Now the horse was giving him a bored look."Yeah, you're right. We should go."He sped off just in time for more guards to arrive. Eugene's attention was diverted to trying to figure out where the arrows where firing from, and how best to dodge them (which was tricky when you were only relying on sound). Just as he thought he dodged them all, he saw where the horse was charging.Straight forward."Hey, you might want to—"They sailed through the air.Again.And Eugene screamed.Again. Though to be fair, that was some kind of justified.Rapunzel pushed Gothel aside and started walking down the stairs. "All my life, I've been hiding from people who would try to use me for my hair-""Rapunzel!" Gothel chased after her.Rapunzel ignored her and continued. "When I really should have been hiding from you!""Rapunzel, where do you think you're going! He won't be there for you!"Rapunzel froze. "What did you do to him?" Her voice came out hoarse."That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes. And your little royal friends have been shipped back to their home countries; a hop, skip and boat ride away from here.""No…" Rapunzel breathed."Now, now…" Gothel came over to her, trying her best to step back into the concerned mother role. "Everything is as it should be…"Rapunzel grabbed onto her wrist before she could touch her hair again."You were wrong about the world. You were wrong about me. And I will never let you use my hair again!"Gothel broke hold of her grasp. She stumbled back into the mirror, causing it to fall and shatter. Rapunzel gave her one last, cold look, before turning and walking away.Gothel sighed. "Fine. You want me to be the bad guy? Now I'm the bad guy…"

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

It took Eugene and the horse a total of 15 minutes to get back to the Tower. Not bad, considering that it took him 2 days to leave it before. Eugene jumped off the horse as soon as he started to slow. "Rapunzel!" He cried out.No answer. Then she was definitely in trouble. "Rapunzel, LET DOWN YOUR HAIR!"Still no answer. Nervously, Eugene tried to look around for a way to climb up the Tower. Some of the bricks were still loose enough, but without even his arrows…A door squeaked from above. Eugene glanced up, just in time to see 70 feet of golden hair spiral down. Eugene grabbed onto it quickly, trying to find the best footing he could, and pulled.Eugene Fitzherbert had never been the most athletic kid at the orphanage. And Flynn Rider, despite his other talents, wasn't much better. Despite that, Eugene didn't let himself slow down. A life was on the line. A life that he really cared about.As soon as he reached the top, he scrambled into the room. "Rapunzel, I thought I'd never see you—" He froze as he saw her. She sat on the floor, her arms chained behind her and her mouth in a gag. She tried calling out to him, her green eyes full of worry.It occurred to Eugene what she wanted to say just as it happened. A searing pain shot through his stomach, and Eugene collapsed to the floor."There." A woman's voice spoke, and the figure walked over him. "Now no one will bother us. Come on, Rapunzel, we're leaving."Eugene's vision grew blurry with pain. He could just make out Rapunzel getting farther and farther away as the woman pulled her back, her green eyes even wider now. He saw Pascal as he darted forward to help, and was just as easily tossed away. He heard, though. All too well he heard Rapunzel's muffled complaints and the chains as they dragged her back."Rapunzel really!" The woman protested. "Enough already! STOP FIGHTING ME!""NO!" Rapunzel shouted as the gag slid off. "I won't stop! For every minute of my life, I'll fight! I'll never stop trying to get away from you!" She heaved, trying hard to regain her breath. "But, if you let me save him, I'll go with you.""No, Rapunzel!" Eugene tried to protest, but his voice was even weaker than hers was.Rapunzel continued. "I'll never try to escape. I'll never fight you. Just let me heal him, and I'm all yours. Everything will be like it was. I promise. Just. Let me. Heal him."Agnus was going as fast as he could. The path to Rapunzel's Tower was nearly identical to how it was two days ago, if not even shorter. None of this, however, made Merida slow down. Even if they did have some time to spare, she didn't want to waste any."You sure this is the right way?" Jack asked as he flew next to her."Positive!" Merida yelled back. Occasionally, she would see just the faintest image of a Wisp by her side.A loud cry echoed through the air. Merida slowed down ever so slightly to glance up. A dragon flew overhead. It wasn't Toothless. It was a bright scarlet, with large spikes and claws extending from every possible side. All the same, though, Merida could just make out Hiccup leaning over him and waving before it lowered down."Say hello to a Monstrous Nightmare." Hiccup greeted.Merida didn't glance its way. Mostly because it was getting harder to navigate through the trees."So, once we finish whatever quest we're on now, I need your help back in Berk. My dad took all of the Vikings up to the main dragon, and they don't stand a chance!" Hiccup said."Great! Does anything else want to happen today?!" Jack grumbled."It does'nae matter!" Merida said. "The Wisps are on our side!""Where are we going, anyway?" Hiccup asked."Rapunzel's Tower!""What? Aren't they back in the town?""I checked." Jack answered. "Nowhere in sight."As the Tower came into sight, Merida jumped off of Agnus and rushed forward. She froze as she saw the other horse nearby. The Guard Horse. Quickly, she raised her bow and scrambled for an arrow. The Guard Horse, however, shook his head and whinnied wildly.Merida furrowed her eyebrows together in thought. "I din'ae speak horse!" She yelled back.The Guard Horse seemed to roll his eyes, and carefully and harshly gestured his neck to the top of the tower.It clicked. "Rapunzel's in trouble!"Rapunzel scrambled to Eugene the second her hands were uncuffed. "EUGENE!"He coughed and sputtered in response. Rapunzel winced. She knew that the injury would be bad, but this was hard to look at. Carefully, she took his hand off of the wound and tried to get a good look at it. All she saw was an angry mess of red before she jumped back herself."Okay, everything's going to be fine…" She murmured as she grabbed her hair.Eugene held a hand out in front of her, as if to stop her. "No-" He coughed again."Please, you just have to trust me…""Please Rapunzel," Eugene broke out into a coughing fit. "I can't let you do this."Rapunzel looked at him. "I can't let you die.""But if you do this," Eugene tried again, between gasps. "Then you, will die…"Rapunzel tried to shush him, and gently cupped his face with her hand. Eugene glanced up at her, making perfect eye contact for the first time. Rapunzel bit back a wince as she saw just how weak he looked."It's going to be okay."She closed her eyes and took a breath, ready to sing. "Rapunzel…" Eugene spoke again. Rapunzel glanced back down at him. Slowly, Eugene raised a hand to her face, carefully brushing the hair out of her vision. Just like he had back at the boats. Just like before they kissed. Realizing this would be their only chance one way or the other, Rapunzel leaned in.69 feet of golden hair fell to the ground.Rapunzel didn't even realize what happened until the shard of glass tumbled out of Eugene's hand. "Eugene!" She gasped and she reached for her hair. Even by feeling it, she could tell that it was dying. What remained of the magic hair now either laid on the floor or fell into jagged pieces around her neck."NO!" Rapunzel heard Gothel yell. Rapunzel grabbed the rest of her hair, watching as the gold was tarnished. Mother tried to scrambled up the parts by her, but it too was becoming brown all to quick. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"All too quickly, Mother wasn't the same Mother anymore. Her skin became covered in wrinkles and her hair was becoming as white as snow. But it wasn't just that she was getting older. She was rotting.Gothel dashed to what remained of the mirror to examine herself. Once she saw, she screamed back in horror, drawing her cloak around her to shield out prying eyes. She stepped backwards, screaming like she was in agony…And tripped.Rapunzel wanted to catch her. Really, she did. But even if she had gotten up, there was no stopping the inevitable. The body never made it to the ground, instead drying up and decaying in midflight. All that remained of Mother Gothel was the cloak, which hit the ground with a soft thud.Rapunzel glanced down to the source of the tripping. What remained of her hair, as pulled by Pascal, and a large, wooden staff that curved into a hook.Merida and Hiccup were the next to come in, frying pan and bow at the ready. Rapunzel only had a second to process them before she realized Eugene was still there. "Nonononono…" Rapunzel stuttered as she pulled Eugene back up. "Come on Eugene, stay with me…"Eugene let out a weak cough."No no no! Come one Eugene!" She grabbed his hand and put in on top of her head. "Flower gleam and glow, let your, power shine." Nothing happened. No marvelous light shows, no glowing hair, no healing. "Make the clock reverse bring back what once was mine…""Rapunzel." Eugene said weakly. Too weakly. Rapunzel fought back tears as she looked down at him. Carefully, he brushed the hair out of her face again. "You were my new dream." He spoke nearly in a whisper.Rapunzel took his hand. "And you were mine."There was a light gasp, and even lighter sigh, and then nothing.And that was how Eugene Fitzherbert died.Time slowed after that. Nobody dared to interrupt them, and even if they had, Rapunzel wouldn't have let them. She drew Eugene up closer and leaned down, so that their noses were practically touching. "Heal what has been lost," She continued, hardly singing above a whisper. "Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine…what once was mine."The first tear collided onto Eugene's check.It was about 20 tears later when Rapunzel realized what it was doing. It was glowing, a bright golden color even brighter than her hair could produce. Eugene's stomach began glowing as well. All of a sudden, the golden stripes began shooting out of him, engulfing the room and steadily rising upward. Rapunzel looked back down at his wound, where the golden lights were making a solar design. Once the lights cleared, Rapunzel glanced back down at the wound. Gone, with only slight smears of blood to show it had ever been there to begin with."Rapunzel…" Eugene gasped. "Did I ever tell you…I have a thing for brunettes?"Rapunzel laughed and tackled him into a hug. Once he was sitting up properly, Eugene responded by pulling her into a kiss.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Now, when we crack this mountain open, all Hel is going to break loose.""And my undies." Gobber added. "Good thing I brought extras."Stoick tried to brush him off with as much annoyance as possible. On other days, he would have tolerated Gobber's banter, but right now was too important. "No matter how this ends, this ends today." He raised a hand and gave a signal for the catapults to fire.Two or three boulders soared through the air and collided with the mountain before it crumbled, forming a sizable hole inside. Stoick was the first to step forward, hammer and shield ready. It was too dark to see properly, but that didn't matter. This had to be where the dragons were. He gave another gesture with his hammer, prompting the catapults The flaming boulder shot just over his head, illuminating the cave as it passed.In those few seconds, Stoick saw them. Dragons, every different kind of species imaginable, clinging to the walls like bats. And if they weren't awake before, they were now. He readied his hammer.Against his better judgment, he thought. He thought of Elinor, who probably would have shirked upon seeing the hordes. He thought of the royals of Corona, who probably would have tried to negotiate peace treaties with the dragons.And then he thought of Hiccup. Hiccup, who would've wanted to study every kind of dragon in here rather than fight. Hiccup, who would still be trying to convince him that dragons weren't evil. Hiccup, who would be trying to convince him that he couldn't fight what was in here. Hiccup, who was beginning to remind him too much of Valka.He thought of Valka.Stoick roared, and charged.They flew past him.Every single dragon in this cave flew right passed him, not even brushing against his hammer. Once Stoick realized this, he turned to see them still fleeing, filling up the sky."Is that it?" Gobber shrugged and turned to the army."WE DID IT!"Though the rest of the army cheered, Stoick didn't let his guard down. Faintly, he could see the boat where the Night Fury had been tied shaking slightly. The Night Fury was trying to escape for the first time.It clicked. "THIS ISN'T OVER! HOLD YOU RANKS! STICK TOGETHER!"The ground shook. A large gust of wind blew through the cave, nearly knocking Stoick backwards. A slightly metallic noise pierced through the air, and Stoick realized. That was a roar. Rock and debris shot out at him, and Stoick quickly realized that the hole they made was quickly becoming bigger. "GET CLEAR!" He ordered, and he made a mad dash out of the way of fire.The Queen Dragon roared again and stepped out of her hiding spot. It was large, larger than Stoick had even thought possible for a dragon. Once upon a time, it might have been blue in color, but now most of the scales had been dyed a rust-like color. What part of it wasn't covered in spikes was covered in hair-like tentacles, and Stoick could make out six, rageful red eyes."Beard of Thor!" Gobber exclaimed. "What is that?!""Odin help us."A nagging bit in the back of his mind (that sounded suspiciously like Elinor) was telling him that Hiccup was right. That they couldn't fight this thing. But Stoick the Vast ignored it. "CATAPULTS!"The Queen Dragon shook off the boulders like they were bugs. It took another step forward, shaking the ground as it did. It was occurring to all the other Vikings just how fruitless this all was."TO THE BOATS!" Someone ordered."NO!" Stoick tried to yell. It was too late. The Queen Dragon's attention turned to the boats, and in seconds, nearly all of them were in flames.Stoick breathed. He couldn't do this. Hiccup had been right. "Lead the men to the far side of the island!" He ordered to a Viking only just out of his vision. "Gobber, go with them.""I think I'll stay," Gobber responded. "Just in case you're thinking of doing something stupid.""Gobber, I can buy them a few minutes if I give it something to hunt. Go with the men." Stoick turned, but found himself stopped as Gobber grabbed his hand."I can double that." Gobber said.Stoick offered him a small smile before he turned to the dragon and charged. Most of the catapults had been destroyed now, but the stands still remained. He plucked one of them out of the ground and tossed it like a spear, just missing one of its eyes. That got its attention. It let out a roar and started to narrow down on him…A fire blast diverted its attention again. It wasn't from him, or from Gobber, or from anyone else in the army. It came from overhead.A group of dragons flew past it. What caught Stoick's attention, however, were the people on them. Nearly every kid from the village old enough for training was riding past, and if he needed to verify it (which was not out of the realm of possibility considering the circumstances), Ruffnutt was shouting "WE'RE ON DRAGONS! LOOK AT US, WE'RE ON DRAGONS, EVERYONE!"Nearly every kid from the Dragon Training, but not Hiccup. There wasn't a doubt in his mind, however, that he was the one that pulled this together."Every bit the boar-headed stubborn Viking you were!" Gobber exclaimed.Stoick could only nod. He was. And for the first time in forever, Stoick was beginning to feel genuinely proud of him."Fishlegs, break it down!" Astrid ordered."Okay! Heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and crushing. Steer clear of both! Small eyes, huge nostrils. Relies on mostly smelling and hearing." Fishlegs read off."Right!" Astrid immediately put that into thought. She might not be the master strategist Hiccup was, but she could make up a plan for fighting dragons the second it was identified to her. "You and Stoutlat hang in its blind spot and make noise. Make it confused. Ruff, Tuff, make it mad. We have to find out if this thing has a shot limit.""That's my specialty!" Ruffnutt proclaimed."Why? Everyone knows I'm more annoying!" Tuffnut argued.Astrid saw the blue flash in the sky before anyone else did. And even though she didn't know what it was, she knew instantly that it had something to do with Hiccup. "I'll be right back!" She said as she flew off to him.Sure enough, it was Hiccup and the Monstrous Nightmare he took off on. It was also three others; a girl with a mess of fiery curls and wielding a bow and arrow, a boy with white hair and wielding a staff as long as he was, and a girl with short, brown hair wielding a frying pan. "These are your reinforcements?" She asked."It's a long story, and I don't think now's the time to tell it!" Hiccup responded. He gestured to the others, and with a nod in response, the three began to board her dragon. "Where's Toothless!?"Quickly, Astrid scanned over the ships, trying to find the one with even the slightest bit of movement."There!" She pointed."Right! Now you go help the others!" Hiccup sped off.The Deadly Nagger shifted slightly as it tried to adjust to the weight. But certainly not enough to really weaken it, Astrid thought with an internal sigh of relief. "So you guys know how to use those!?" She asked, more directed to those that had the arrow and the staff.As if to answer her, the white haired pretty boy jumped off the Deadly Nagger. Rather than plummeting, however, he floated, and charged in front of her. He rose his staff, and in seconds one of the Queen's Dragon's blasts crystallized and fell to the ground below in pieces."You could say that!" He responded, sending a smirk her way before he flew off again.The other two girls worked in unison, and dismounted to either side of the Queen Dragon's head. Instantly, they worked towards the eyes, trying to shoot or bash (respectively) them shut.Astrid froze as she watched. Yeah, they'd do quite nicely.Hiccup jumped off the Monstrous Nightmare as soon as he could. He couldn't waste a single second. "Go help the others!" He ordered, and the Monstrous Nightmare was more than happy to oblige.Toothless' eyes lit up as soon as he saw Hiccup. Hiccup would have liked to have a better reuniting scene, but right now, the boat was on fire and they were being attacked by the Queen of Dragons. Instantly, Hiccup started to work on breaking the bonds, occasionally muttering something comforting as he did (though he suspected that Toothless realized it was just as much for himself as it was for him). The neck harness was rather easy to peel off, but the rest of them had been bolted down. He grabbed a piece of shrapnel and started prying away.The boat shook. Even if Hiccup had something he could grab hold of, it wouldn't have done much. Another shake, and soon he and Toothless were catapulted into the water.Hiccup grabbed as much air as he could and swam down. It was a bit easier to break the harness now that they were underwater, but only just. He only managed to break off the foot binds before he felt himself run out of air.And felt himself being tossed up on land. He choked out some water as he sat up, and wildly glanced around for the sign of his rescuer. He could only make out the hazy image of…"Dad?"His dad didn't answer, instead turning back to the ocean and diving in. In a few seconds, Toothless rose and dropped off his father. Toothless landed nearby, giving off a roar and wildly gesturing his head to the Queen Dragon."Got it." Hiccup said, and quickly rushed over.Just as soon as he had gotten the saddle ready, he felt a tug on his hand.Hiccup turned to him. For the first time that Hiccup could remember, it looked like Stoick the Vast, Village Chief, was looking at a loss for words. "I'm sorry." He managed to sputter out. "Fo—for everything.""Yeah. Me too.""Ya don't have ta go up there. It's dangerous.""We're Vikings." Hiccup shrugged. "It's an occupational hazard."Hiccup turned, but he felt another tug on his hand. His father was now holding his hand down with both of his. "I'm proud to call ya my son." He said before he let go.Hiccup blinked for a second. "Thanks Dad." He said in all but a whisper, and then took off.Compared to some other dragons, Night Furies had a relatively low shot limit. To make up for this, not only were their blast stronger, but they never missed (and if they did, they had good reason). And so, for Toothless' first trick, he fired directly into the mouth of the Queen Dragon.That certainly got her attention."That thing has wings…" Hiccup thought aloud. "Let's see if it can use them!"Toothless gave a nod. For his second trick, he shot directly at the Queen Dragons' wings, knocking it over. That definitely got her attention."You think that did it?" Hiccup asked.The sounds of flapping wings far larger than his and a monstrous roar answered Hiccup's question."Well, it can use them…" Hiccup shrugged.Toothless charged. He was flying faster than he had ever gone in his life; faster than he thought possible. Expertly, he dodged through the large stone columns, and tried his best to avoid the debris heading his way as the Queen smashed through it.As soon as they were far enough off the coast that they wouldn't hurt anyone, Hiccup glanced down at him. "Alright, Toothless, time to disappear!"Toothless flew up straight into the clouds. With a roar, the Queen followed."Here it comes…!" Hiccup warned.Another roar, and Toothless veered left to avoid the large fire blast headed straight his way. And that would only help them out.Even without a blind-spot, it would be near impossible for the Queen to see a single Night Fury hidden in the heavy clouds and smoke. But it was rather easy for him to make out the very large Queen Dragon. Once he was positive they were hidden well enough, Toothless began to dash around, firing as many shots as he could. One on one wing. One on another. And the last on its forehead. The Queen gave a pained roar, and soon the sky filled with flames. Toothless tried to make it out as fast as he could. His body survived. The tailfin Hiccup had made, however, did not."Okay, time's up!" Hiccup said as he saw the prosthetic flake away. "Let's see if this works."Toothless dove and flew back to the Queen, right within eyeshot."Come on!" Hiccup taunted. "Is that the best you can do?!"Toothless echoed him with a roar.The Queen snapped at them, but it was easily dodged. Toothless dove back down, and the Queen was quick to follow."Stay with me buddy, we're good!" Hiccup said. Toothless had to assume it was about his tail. He could feel it chipping away, but he had no idea just how much damage was actually being done. "Just a little bit longer."Toothless dove."Hold…"The Queen roared."NOW!"Toothless spun, and fired his last shot directly in the Queen's mouth. Her eyes widened as she realized what just happened. She wouldn't have any more time to react to it. Toothless veered right, and the Queen collided with the ground in a fiery explosion.Toothless didn't have much time to react, either. He scaled up the body of the Queen Dragon, trying as best he could to avoid the talons and scales that still blocked his path. The explosion was getting closer.He heard a chip, and he felt what remained of the prosthetic tailfin fall off."No…"He glanced behind him slightly to see the damage, but when he turned back, he could see the Queen's club of a tail slowly closing in on them."NO!"He tried as best as he could to dodge it, and he did get them out relatively unscathed. But that didn't stop the tail from hitting the saddle and knocking Hiccup off.Toothless took a minute to reorient himself before he charged in. Straight back into the flames he went. Desperately, he tried everything he had to reach out to Hiccup, who was going straight into the fire.All he could manage was grabbing him by the boot, and he held on with all that he had.Once the flames had died and the smoke had cleared somewhat, Stoick was the first to charge in. Merida, Astrid, Rapunzel, and Jack were only slightly behind, and more behind them were the other Vikings. However, it was quickly apparent that there was nothing to rush over to. Toothless lay on the ground, curled up and whimpering as he breathed. Hiccup was nowhere to be found.Stoick collapsed to the ground. "Oh, son," He said, in a voice barely audible. A voice too small for such a big man. "I did this."A silence fell over the crowd. Each Viking respectfully dipped their heads. Merida froze. Part of her wanted to rush in there and do something, but she also realized that whatever she did would only hurt Stoick more. She tried to bury her tears in her dress sleeve, and when that failed, Jack carefully pulled her aside and let her cry in his chest.Toothless gave out another whine as he came to. He studied the scene in front of him for a minute, and Merida could tell that he was trying to figure out what was going on. Once he was able to, he carefully rolled over and extended his wings. There was a figure inside."HICCUP!" Stoick scrambled to grab his son, and frantically started searching for a pulse. He eventually tossed his helmet off and held Hiccup up to his chest. A pause that felt like an eternity, then "HE'S ALIVE! YOU BROUGHT HIM BACK ALIVE!"A cheer rang through the assembled crowd. Toothless, however, gave another grunt that sounded rather smug.Hiccup woke up to something gently bashing against his face. He opened his eyes carefully, just barely making out the black figure in front of him. However, that black figure was unmistakable in its appearance. "Hey Toothless." He breathed, scaring himself by just how weak he sounded.Once he realized he was awake, Toothless sprung, crawling over him and licking as much as his cheek as he possibly could. He moved one of his paws up, and Hiccup found himself in a world of pain. He sprung up and groaned, and he quickly realized where he was."I'm in my house…" He said dumbly. He glanced back to Toothless. "And you're in my house with me…"Toothless sprung around like a rabbit, ignoring all the collateral damage he left in his wake. The memories of what happened quickly came back to Hiccup. Rapunzel's mother, the Queen Dragon, his dad finally forgiving him… "Does Dad know you're here?" He asked.Toothless, however, ignored him, and contently went on his way jumping on everything."Oh, come on…" Hiccup sighed. He pulled himself back up and pulled off the blanket.Oh.Toothless sniffed at the prosthetic, simultaneously curious and sympathetic. Hiccup sighed deeply. Plenty of Vikings had lost appendages (just look at Gobber). If he had to choose something to lose in the battle, he was glad it was something as insignificant as a foot, and not a person.But still, it was his foot.Hiccup took a deep breath, and pulled himself up. Alright. Standing. So far so good. He took a shaky step forward.Toothless caught him before he fell. Hiccup sighed. Carefully, Toothless pushed him back up and navigated right under his arm, acting like something of a crutch."Thanks, Toothless." Hiccup breathed. Slowly, the two hobbled over to the door. Hiccup pulled it open, and came face to face with a Monstrous Nightmare. He yelped and slammed the door shut."Alright. Toothless, stay here." He spun himself around and pulled the door open again.Now he saw who was on the Monstrous Nightmare. Snoutlat, who was calling out to another group of mounted dragons. Hiccup gasped as he glanced around.It was still Berk, but there were dragons. Dragons everywhere. But it wasn't a raid. It actually looked somewhat peaceful."I knew it." Hiccup said. "I'm dead."He heard his father laughing before he saw him."No, but ya gave it your best shot." He said with a friendly slap on the shoulder. Or at least it would have been friendly, but Hiccup was already having a pretty hard time standing upright. Fortunately, Hiccup stopped himself from falling while his dad continued. "So, what do you think?""It's…" Hiccup tried. Perfect. Amazing. Everything he had ever wanted in Berk, and then some. But the actual words to form that sentence were lost on him. He figured the stunned expression on his face would have to suffice.He let his father help him off the doorstep. Other Vikings noticed he was there, and soon quite a crowd formed around them."It turned out, all we needed was a little of this." Stoick said with a gesture."You just gestured to all of me." Hiccup said."Well, most of you." Gobber pointed out as he fought through the crowds. "That part's my own. With a little Hiccup-flair thrown in. So, what do you think?""Well," Hiccup waggled the prosthetic foot around as he analyzed it. "I might make a few tweaks."This earned a laugh from the crowd. Hiccup felt a slug on his shoulder, and jumped forward."That's for making me worry." Astrid huffed."Oh, come on," Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Is it going to be like this all the time because—" She grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. Hard.He forgot what happened for a few seconds.Hiccup stumbled back, seeking out anyone for some proper balance again. "I could get used to it."Gobber handed him a set of equipment nearly as tall as he was. Instantly, Hiccup figured it out. A new tailfin prosthetic."That friend of yours with the short hair was quite insistent about the design." He said cheerfully.He figured it out before Gobber had to tell him. Purple and gold, with a sun insignia.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Jack charged through Pitch's Lair. He jumped from cage to cage, quickly breaking off the locks and swinging the doors open wide. "Come on, let's go!"The baby fairies chirped at him, but didn't make so much as a step forward. Their chirps didn't sound right. Worried."Wha…" Jack blinked. "Can't you fly?"There was enough of a change in tone to make it clear to Jack that it wasn't the case. One of them gestured down, and Jack saw the globe.Pitch danced on top of the globe. "You're all free to go!" He announced cheerfully as he waltzed down. "We won't be needing any Christmas toys this year, thank you. Or, any year for that matter!"He heard a rather agitated sigh from one of the yetis, but chose to ignore it."Only six left! Six precious children who still believe in the Guardians with all their little hea-better make that five." He squashed one of the lights with his shoe like it was a bug. He dashed over to the next set of lights. "Four!" He cheered as another light was squashed underneath him. "Three! Two!"He snapped his fingers.The light didn't go out.He snapped again.And snapped again."ONE.""Okay, look. You and I are obviously at what they call a 'crossroads'." Jamie said. "So here's what's going to happen. If it wasn't a dream, and you are real, you have to prove it. Like…right now."The bunny didn't stir. Not that Jamie was expecting it to; it was just one of Sophie's dolls he was using as a stand-in. The actual Easter Bunny…if his dream was anything to go by, was big and strong and tough-looking.But nothing else happened. Save for a cold wind coming in through the window, but that wasn't exactly magical."Listen, I've believed in you for a long time." Jamie begged. "Like, my whole life even. So you kinda owe me now. You don't have to do much, just a little sign so I know."Nothing."Anything. Anything at all."Still nothing. Jamie let himself slouch down."I knew it." He didn't, actually, but it helped to say that instead.The bunny tumbled off the bed.Jamie was about to crawl back into bed when he heard a light scratching. He turned to his window, where it was being engulfed by frost. Rapidly. And it wasn't like it was cold enough for ice either. A design began to form in the ice, like someone was moving their finger along the glass. An egg, with stripes and feet and…The next window began being covered, and this time a design of a rabbit began being drawn on. Then, it was obvious."He is real…" Jamie breathed.The design glowed, and soon a small bunny made of ice began bounding through his room. He reached up to grab it, and it exploded in a flurry of snow. But that wasn't right…so far as he knew the Easter Bunny couldn't control snow. But, he realized as a snowflake melted on his nose, someone could."Jack Frost…"The sound of sleigh-bells was still perfectly audible, even with the thunder brewing overhead. Just as audible was the sound the sleigh made as it crashed into the pavement."Ah, северный олень! Come back!" North tried to call, but it was already too late. The reindeer had scattered."Are you alright?" Rapunzel asked as she and Merida rushed over."Is official. My powers are kaput." North turned to them now. Rapunzel could tell it took a few seconds for him to recognize her, and while that wasn't completely unjustified, it made Rapunzel feel a bit uncomfortable. "Rapunzel? Merida What are you doing here? What about lanterns? …What happened to hair?""It's…kinda a long story…" Rapunzel chucked nervously.Tooth sprung out of what remained of the sleigh, but she couldn't fly more than a foot before she fell down too. Merida sprung to help her out. "Ye alright?" She asked."Losing Easter took a toll on all of us," North explained. "Especially Bunny."On cue, a new figure jumped out of the sleigh. It wasn't E. Aster Bunnymund, or at least, the Bunnymund they had met before. He barely rose up to Rapunzel's ankle, hopped on all fours, and twitched its nose nervously around.Pascal laughed like a maniac."Oi! Don't laugh at me! Come on, let's go!" The rabbit spoke in Bunny's unmistakable voice. He flopped off the sleigh and held up his front paws in an attacking stance, bouncing slightly from foot to foot."Stay, calm, Pascal." Merida advised, though Rapunzel could tell she was having a hard time containing her laughter. "He can probably smell fear.""Oh come on!""Did he just…" Jack trailed off."Jack Frost?" Jamie repeated. This time, it was unmistakable."He just said my name!""Jack Frost…""You just said my name! You…" It occurred to Jack that Jamie was staring right in front of him. Right at him. "Can you hear me?"Jamie, still with eyes wide and mouth agape, nodded."C—Can you…can you see me?"He nodded again, and though his mouth was still wide open, the corners flipped up into something of a smile.Jack gasped. "You-you can see me!" He flipped over and onto the desk in a fit of joy. It was one thing that the others could see him, but they didn't know who he was or why them seeing him was such a big deal. But now, he had a believer. Someone actually believed in him!"You just made it snow!" Jamie pointed out."I know!""In my room!""I know!""You're real!?"Jack sprung off the desk. "Yeah, ma-who do you think brings you all the blizzards, and the snow days! -and you remember when you went on the sled the other day?!""That was you?!""That was me!""Cool! But what about the Tooth Fairy, or the Easter Bunny, or-""Real, real real!" Jack scooped up the toy bunny and held it out. "We are all real!""I KNEW IT!""Jamie? Who are you talking to?" His mother called."Uh…" Jamie glanced at him, as if he was expected him to give him an answer. Jack shrugged."Jack Frost?" Jamie offered.There was a slight chuckle. "Alright."Another crack of thunder rang from outside. Deep inside, Jack could tell that wasn't thunder. That was Pitch."Is something wrong?" Jamie asked. He could probably tell that all of Jack just seized up for a second.Jack stammered for a second, before settling on "Maybe!" and dashing out the window. Sure enough, a small crowd of North, Tooth, Rapunzel, Merida and…was that little thing Bunny?, had formed, and sure enough, above them floated Pitch Black on a cloud of Nightmare Sand.Jack had enough time to order Rapunzel to keep Jamie safe before he charged up. All of Pitch's attention was on him now."Jack Frost?" He sounded almost surprised. It didn't last long, and he sneered. "Let's end this, shall we?"Jack fired a shot of ice, straight for Pitch. Pitch easily blocked it with his hands. "That little trick, won't work on me, anymore!" With each pause, Pitch floated an inch closer. With each pause, Jack found the spell harder and harder to control. A splash of Nightmare Sand was tossed in the blast, and Jack was sent back flying. He collided with a dumpster."Nice try, Jack!" North said. "A for effort!""He's gotten stronger." Jack breathed as he pulled himself up with his staff. "I…I can't fight him…"The thunder went off again, and Pitch's laugh filled the streets. "All this fuss over one little boy, and still he refuses to stop believing. Very well, there are other ways to snuff off a light."The streetlights around them shattered, leaving the only light behind them keeping them from being out of the dark completely.Bunny jumped forward. "If you want him, you're gonna have ta go through me!""Oh, look how fluffy you are!" Pitch cooed. A bony hand extended from the shadows, heading straight for the small rabbit. "Do you want a scratch behind the ears?"Bunny jumped back into North's hand. "Don't you even think about it!""I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this," Pitch appeared now. Behind him were an army of Nightmares. "You look awful."The shadows crept forward."Jack." Jamie's weak voice cut through the tense atmosphere. "I'm scared."Jack put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and bent down so he could get at eye level."Easy now, it's going to be okay. You have to believe in me. We're just…" Jack trailed off.It was the same thing his sister had said when he saved her. It was one of the last things he ever heard as Jackson Overland Frost.He could work with that. "Going to have a little fun.""Now tell me, Jamie," Pitch continued. "Now do you believe in the Boogey—" He was cut off as a snowball collided with his face.Most people managed to stop themselves from laughing. Still, a few stifled laughs could be heard from Rapunzel, Merida, Jamie and North. Pitch's reaction was evident on his face, a mixture of disgust and mild confusion. Jack tossed another snowball in his hand casually, just enough so that everyone could see that it was him that did it.While Pitch tried to wipe the snow out of his eyes, a bright purple fireball shot through the alley and headed straight for the Nightmares, destroying them almost instantly. Jack was about to ask how, but a loud roar answered his questions. Toothless swooped down and landed in the alleyway, placing himself right in between the two."Hiccup!" Rapuznel exclaimed.Though Jack was happy (though a bit confused) to see the Viking, he still didn't waste anytime. He shot out a path of solid ice in front of them, working straight past Pitch and his Nightmares. "Now let's go find your friends." He said to Jamie, and gestured to the trash can lids behind him.Jamie's eyes lit up once he realized what that meant. Like a kid on a snow day, he rushed to grab one of them and launched off. The others seemed to understand rather quickly, and once they were all off, Jack and Hiccup followed."What are you doing here?" Jack asked once Toothless lowered them down to his level. "How did you get here!""Snowglobe! You didn't think I was going to just skip this one out, did you?" Hiccup asked. "You got me involved; I'm staying until the end of this!""You lost your foot!""It was a foot!" Hiccup sounded almost exasperated. "It's a lot less important that losing a world!"Jack could only stare at Hiccup for a second before he realized he was serious."Right then. Here's what I need you to do. We're going to get every kid in Burgress. You and your flying dragon and my magic are just enough to get kids to believe for just a little bit more. Merida, Rapunzel," He raised his voice just a little bit so Merida and Rapunzel could tell her was talking to him. "You lead them down to the city square.""Got it!" The two replied in unison.All around Burgess they sled, with Jack and Hiccup only straying away to knock on people's windows and grabbed their attention. With every new window, more and more kids were getting their own sledding gear and joining them.Jack stopped the path as it came into view. A near tidal wave of Nightmare Sand had formed, encompassing the city, and heading straight for them. Pitch appeared to them again, on a new Nightmare and looking rather annoyed. One of Jamie's friends came rushing out, and immediately retreated once he saw what he was getting into."You think a few children can help you?" Pitch taunted. "Against this!"The Nightmare Sand came crashing down. North held up his sword, ready to fight. Unfortunately, six or seven believers wasn't quite enough, and Rapunzel had to stop him from completely falling over.Jack heard Jamie gasp lightly and turned over to him. "They're just bad dreams, Jamie." He said reassuringly. And they were. The Last Light on the globe should have an easy time fighting bad dreams."And we'll protect ya." Bunny added."You'll protect them?" Pitch cooed. Thunder crashed behind him for emphasis. He laughed. "But who will protect you?"Though he wasn't proud to admit it, for just a fraction of a second, Jack believed Pitch. Right now, all they really were a rabbit, a fairy that couldn't fly, an old Russian man, and a Winter Spirit that only started being believed in a few minutes ago."Ye know Jack," Merida said. "I think I'm startin' to believe in ye."That sudden admission gave him a huge burst of energy. That energy doubled, tripled—multiplied in a way that Jack could never have conceived of as Hiccup and Rapunzel nodded and moved in front of him defensively.Jamie moved in front of them and spoke for the whole town. "We will."And Jack was starting to believe in them as well."Still think there's no such thing as the Boogeyman!"The Nightmare Sand came crashing down, wrecking the streetlamps and cars and other bits of suburban debris in its path."I do believe in you." Jamie said. "I'm just not afraid of you."He held out a hand in front of him defensively as the Nightmare Sand came right towards him. Rather than engulfing him, the Nightmare Sand faded away, and in seconds the entire tidal wave was replaced with bright gold light. Dream Sand.The change was almost immediate. Tooth flew back into the air for the first time all day. North gave a jolly laugh as he readied his swords. And Bunny…well, stayed the size of a bunny, but he at least found his boomerangs. Jack was beginning to like him a bit more that size.The remaining Nightmares charged forward, but Jack didn't worry this time. Once the children found out that they could fight too, they charged forward. North tossed around two snowglobes, and soon most (if not all) of the Yetis and Elves were filling the streets. Even Bunny's large Easter Egg statues had appeared and were now itching to fight.So Jack decided to set his sights on Pitch.He flew up to the roof Pitch was up, and with a few ice beams, easily took care of the Nightmares. As soon as Pitch saw him, he readied a Nightmare Sand arrow, but before Jack could even think of dodging it, Merida was there and blocking it for him. Hiccup and Toothless came rushing up, and with one blast, all the other Nightmares were destroyed. Pitch tried to run off, but Rapunzel shot out from the other rooftop and destroyed the other Nightmare he was riding on with her frying pan.Once he was on the ground, Pitch wasted no time in striking again, materializing his scythe out of Nightmare Sand. However, this time they were prepared for that. They dodged, and Jack even managed to get a good kick in before they backed Pitch into a corner."It's over, Pitch." Jack warned and aimed his staff.Pitch only laughed and slunk into the shadows. Jack spun around, his head darting every which way to try and spot him…"Jack! Behind ye!" Merida tried to warn him, but it came too late. Pitch swung his scythe.A golden hand grabbed the scythe, and tossed it and Pitch aside.Jack and the others began chasing it down, both out of a sense of obligation and curiosity. A giant spiral of Dream Sand was forming right in the center of the town. Jack managed to get a glimpse of a figure tapping Pitch on the nose lightly, before sending him skyrocketing upwards with a punch.Sanderson Mansnoozie created a top hat with his Dream Sand, and tipped it respectfully to the children watching him. He tugged back down on the rope, and Pitch came colliding with the ground.Sandy took a few seconds to greet the others (staying as silent as ever, Jack noted), before he rose up on his cloud. He shot out beams of Dream Sand in every which direction. Black Nightmare sand turned gold, and formed dragons, dinosaurs…one tough-looking unicorn. They were becoming proper dreams again. With enough kids dreaming, the Baby Teeth could regain their strength and restore memories. And that would help children believe again.It only took five minutes, give or take, for all of Pitch's work to be undone.With the battle over and kids having fun again, Jack took it upon himself to start up a snowball fight. Most of the kids reciprocated, but Jack himself ended up being pulled aside by North. "Your center?" He asked, gesturing towards the kids again."Yeah, well…" Jack shrugged. "It took a while, but I figured it out."North tossed something on him. A small matryoska doll of a figure in a large blue overcoat, with bright happy eyes and bright white hair. Jack smiled softly."That's one!" North argued. "You still on Naughty List!"A snowball collided with the back of his head, and this time Jack was rather happy to note that it wasn't him that threw it."You all on Naughty List!" North roared with laughter as he prepared his own snowball. "Bunny, think fast!"Jack could hear Pitch rambling on about something. Before he tuned it out completely, however, he saw Jamie run past him. No…right through him. They may know that the Boogeyman is real now, but that doesn't mean they believe in him. They don't fear him.Pitch came to the same realization, and bolted.It didn't take too long for Jack to round up the Guardians again, and it took even less for North to get a snowball to chase Pitch back down. Right to the lake that sat in front of his lair."Leaving the party so soon?" North asked."You didn't even say goodbye." Tooth said, and flipped a quarter at him. Pitch had exactly one second to ponder over this before Tooth socked him dead in the mouth, causing a tooth to skirt across the ice."That was for my fairies.""You can't get rid of me!" Pitch nearly squeaked as he got back to his feet. "Not forever! There will always be fear!""So what?" North shrugged. "As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear.""Really? Then what are they doing here?" Pitch gestured around him, were a few Nightmares were beginning to approach.Bunny shrugged. "Can't be mine. I'm not afraid of you."There was a silent agreement among the other Guardians."Looks like they're yours." Jack said.The Nightmares charged past them, heading straight for Pitch. Pitch screamed, and in a wave of Nightmare Sand, he was dragged back into his lair. The shamble of a bedpost was destroyed. The hole was closed behind them.The Moon rose.Well, you can imagine what happened next. Rapunzel was reunited with her birth parents, and Corona rejoiced, for they found their Lost Princess. And she was a princess worth waiting for. The parties went on for a week, and to be honest, I don't remember much of it. Dreams came true all around. Hook became one of the most famous concert pianists in the world, if you believe it! And Big Nose eventually found his true love! I assume Mimey's happy; he's never told me otherwise. Thanks to Maximus, crime disappeared in the city almost overnight, and the ceremonial weapon of the Corona Guard became the frying pan. Now granted, I still think it should be the standard weapon, but the Kind and Queen seem to disagree.Diplomatic relationships opened up with Berk, Scotland, and Corona almost immediately. And in Scotland, the four tribes were as peaceful as they had been since their formation. Now, I know all the politics bore you, so I'll skip ahead to the part with the dragons.Dragons became a staple in Berk. Can't swing a cat without hitting one!...and not because they're giant, scary lizards. Hiccup and his friends started up a new Dragon Academy for training them, and Hiccup even wrote a book based on all the things he found out about taming dragons. Uh…A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons, if I'm not mistaken.Merida still hasn't married, and something tells me she's gonna stay that way for a long time. But, between you and me, I think she has a little something-something going on with the Macguffin kid. And Merida did get all of those woodcarvings. It took a bit of explaining to her mother, but I think by that point her mother was more than willing to overlook it.Jack got sworn in as the Official Guardian of Fun right after they defeated Pitch. And while there hasn't been much for him to do yet, I think it's safe to say he's more than qualified. Easter and Christmas pass, the Tooth Fairies continue to collect their teeth, and Sandy continues to weave his Dream Sand across the world.And as for me, well, I started going by Eugene again, stopped thieving, and basically turned the whole thing around, but I know what the big question is. 'Did Rapunzel and I ever get married?' Well, I'm pleased to tell you that after years of asking, and asking and asking…I finally said yes.""Eugene." Rapunzel sighed. This earned a laugh from all the kids. It always did. Eugene didn't find what was so funny about it."Alright." Eugene rolled his eyes. "She said yes.""And we're living happily ever after." Rapunzel added."Yes we are…" Eugene pulled her in for a kiss.Jack snorted in fake-disgust. Or at least, mostly fake disgust; it was a bit hard to tell at the moment, thank you. "Come on, kids, why don't we go have a snowball fight!?"The kids of Burgess cheered and darted off. Eugene watched as they darted off. "Oh, shoot!""What?" Rapunzel asked."I forgot to tell them the most important part!"The click-clacking of the typewriter stopped suddenly, making Sofia almost uncomfortable with the silence once she noticed it was there. She turned up from her carving to take a look.
The children of Burgess never stopped believing in dreams and miracles. They would live for quite some time in peace and happiness, with the Guardians of Childhood protecting them. Yet this is not happily ever after, for this is only the beginning of their stories. The adventures of growing up and growing old awaited, as they do for all children. Yet the children of Burgess remained strong, for they knew how to change their fate.

So the next time to Moon tells you something, listen to it. Next time you see a Wisp, follow it. For you never know just who you might meet along the way and whose fate you'll change.

THE END.
"That's odd…" Sofia thought aloud. "I was'nae expecting them to finish so soon.""Well, they did give us a good plug." The crow chirped.She shrugged. Couldn't argue with that. Still, she was a bit upset. She was expecting to get a good Jack Frost book out of all of this. It was a completely new book. But she wasn't a Wisp. If this was what fate wanted her to write, so be it.She scrambled across the den and searched for the cover. The cover was always there, just waiting for the story to finish. It was brown and leather, laced with gold and with a colored silhouette at each corner. One female and yellow, wielding a bow and arrow. One female and pink, with long hair flowing behind her. One green and male, with a large lizard-like figure trailing beside him. And one blue and male, wielding a staff as long as he was. In the exact center, a figure of a wisp sat.She stuffed the cover with its contents, making a mental note to bind it properly later, and took a final look.The Big Four: Not Yet Legends, the title read at the top, in gold calligraphy. At the bottom, by Sofia Joyce.