Rapunzel Gothel worked at an inn a few small villages away from the mountains. It was very cold at this time of year. Snow fell often and it would come harsh when it did. The bone-chilling cold always brought travelers to the inn, and Rapunzel, at 14 years of age, working as an apprentice to the innkeeper's daughter, was glad to help them.
One night, as twilight was falling, a young boy Rapunzel's age was riding into town to stay for the night. His name was Jack Overland. His horse was spooked by a sudden roar as they drew nearer to the town and bolted into the forest.
"What are you scared of girl?" He asked his horse, dismounting and looking around. The roar came again. Jack pulled his bag off his horse and began to look for something he could use as a weapon. The horse whinnied loudly and ran.
"Snowflake!" Jack screamed, finding a knife in his bag. He looked around. The sun was setting and the forest looked ominous in the half-light. Jack began to run towards the inn: he could see its glowing lights from here. The roar was closer now. Jack screamed again. In the distance, which was slowly shrinking, came a bear.
"Oh no." Jack muttered. He was almost there!
The bear got there first. However, Jack saw the door to the inn open. Jack jumped into action. The bear lunged, but Jack tried to parry the blow with his knife. All he did was make the bear madder. The bear lashed out, striking him across his chest and he fell to the ground, the snow staining with blood. The bear clearly thought he was dead, grunting and then lumbering back into the forest. Snowflake ran up to Jack, who lay shocked on the snow. She nuzzled him, and he softly pet her nose.
Rapunzel and Toothiana (the innkeeper's daughter) ran out to the scene. Snowflake looked up, her white muzzle stained with blood. Jack whimpered, and Rapunzel dropped down onto her knees beside him. He had brown hair that was now a mess from running, and he was breathing hard. The sky was dark now, and the stars had begun to shine.
"Who are you?" Jack asked, struggling to get up and grab his bag. He cried out in pain and fell back to the bloodied snow.
"I'm Rapunzel Gothel. This is Miss Toothiana, from the inn." Rapunzel said softly. Her voice was like a summer rain, soft and warm.
"I'm Jack Overland." Jack managed, gripping his bag's strap, his face pale. "I was coming to the inn when Snowflake here got spooked. We were attacked... well, I was; Snowflake ran away." Jack rubbed Snowflake's head affectionately, trying not to look at his injuries.
"Can we help you to the inn?" Rapunzel asked Jack, looking at Mrs. North. She nodded.
Jack looked down at himself. He breathed out hard. "That would be appreciated." He said finally.
Toothiana and Rapunzel helped Jack to his feet, but he gasped in pain and passed out. Rapunzel stooped down and picked him up. His head flopped uselessly back and the rest of him was just as limp. Rapunzel wasn't weak; she trained helping at a local infirmary when she was eleven, and she had to carry patients all the time, besides the fact that Jack was small and thin in the first place. The four of them arrived at the inn just in time for Jack to take the last available room. The people looked at them quizzically. One man shouted, "My God, what has happened?" He sat back down and began to pray at his table.
The innkeeper, Nicholas North, unlocked the room for them. The bed did not have sheets yet, as the North's were not expecting any guests. Rapunzel put Jack onto the hard wood bed and began to dress the wounds. Jack woke up at one point, screaming, which caused a commotion in the front part of the inn. Toothiana managed to calm everyone down. Rapunzel had to change the bandages three times that night. The blood ceased completely by the morning, which was lucky. If he had kept bleeding, he would have died.
The next night, about 7pm, everyone was getting ready for the late night specials, when two people knocked on the door. They were not together. One of these was a girl, her hair tucked up in a hood, but one wild piece of red hair poked out the front. She had a scowl on her face, and her horse was in the stable. She wore a plain deep turquoise green dress and had a bow slung over her shoulder. The other one was a boy. He was so thin he could have blown away in the next gust of wind. His eyes were bright green and full of curiosity. He wore a simple green tunic with darker green leggings and a brown fur vest. His boots were trimmed with the same fur. Both of them had the same plain fur cover over their heads, blocking out the snow and shadowing their faces. North let them in.
The girl stomped noisily to a table, where she slung her bow onto the table and tore off her hood, letting red curls explode around her. She had blue eyes, a little darker than the color of the sky. "I'm Merida Dunbroch, in case any of you lot even care."
The boy, however, was different. He walked to his table cautiously, as if he might break something. He sat down at a different table than Merida. He too removed his hood, revealing a pale face covered in freckles, and thick dark auburn hair. His green eyes met Merida's for a moment and he flinched. He looked as if he had no way of transport. That's what everyone thought.
"Who are you?" Merida trudged over to the table, and the boy flinched back from her like she was going to hit him.
"Hiccup H. Haddock the Third." he squeaked, looking for an exit.
They both heard the bear growl before anyone else did.