Soulstice
(To follow "Silver Rays of Sunlight")
I was asked to write Rapunzel's letter to Jack, but instead of just writing the letter and adding it on to the story I wanted to sort of fast-forward to see what everyone is doing a year later. I know it's short, sorry!
Thank you all for your feedback, I really do appreciate it! Please continue reading and enjoying. :)
~.~.~.
Hiccup paused at the door.
Should I be doing this? He's my friend; I know he needs my help, even if he won't admit it. But what if this isn't my place to interrupt…?
He brushed aside his doubts. Something had to be done.
For the past year Jack Frost had given up hope. He had dropped out of school, gotten involved more than once with the police, and overall had been a mess. For the first few months no one could blame his grieving, but it soon had gotten out of hand. Hiccup knew that this was a painful time for his friend, heck for everyone, but he also knew that it had to stop. Life goes on.
So he knocked. When there was no answer a second, third, and fourth time, he simply let himself in. The door was unlocked and the place was a mess.
"Jack?" he called out tentatively. Only a mumble in response. He walked toward the source of the sound. Jack was lying under a pile of sheets on the couch, empty bottles of alcohol all around him.
"Jack, please. You can't keep going like this."
Jack Frost felt tears brim his eyes. That's the same way she felt, he thought to himself. For a while, he had truly believed that they would make it. He would have done anything to be with her and make her happy. He wanted to take her away from this small town, to a place they could be together without fear or regret. He couldn't blame her love for her family. If only he had known how torn she truly felt, he never would have asked. She didn't need that sort of pressure.
But now it's too late.
"You're a mess, Jack. Get up. We all took this hard, okay? But you have to just keep going. Do you honestly think she would have wanted this for you?"
Jack looked up to meet his friend's gaze. "Leave me alone."
"No."
"I said, leave me alone."
"No!"
Hiccup felt something inside him snap.
"I will NOT sit by and watch you drink yourself to death! She's dead, okay? DEAD. It doesn't matter how or when or why, IT'S DONE. Get off your butt and MOVE ON!"
Slowly, Jack Frost stood up. He looked his friend square in the eye, their faces inches apart.
"Get out."
His voice was so low it was barely audible. Hiccup gulped, stepping back.
"Jack, I-"
"Now."
It wasn't a question. Hiccup took one last look at his disheveled friend and walked away.
~.~.~.
Jack adjusted his tie. He combed through his hair once more, trying his best to style it the way she had liked. He looked in the mirror and almost smiled. She would have loved to see him dressed up like this. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he grabbed the letter and hopped in his car.
When he arrived at her gravesite, a hooded figure stood. Confused, he approached the stone, flowers in hand. The figure removed the hood to reveal fiery red hair.
"Hey, Jack."
"Hey."
"Yoo've come ta talk with her a spell?"
"Yeah."
There was a pause. Merida wiped away a tear.
"She called me, ya know." She tried to keep her voice straight, but it was wavering ever so slightly.
"That night?"
"Tha night before."
"What did she say?"
"Ah couldn't make out most of it. She was cryin' an' all. An' tha whole time, ah was thinkin', 'when will she get over that man? Why can't she just doo what her mum and dad said, an' just have nuthin' ta doo with tha fella?' Ah had just got sick of hearin' tha same thing every time we talked. Ah feel terrible about et. Ah wish ah had listened ta her more. Ah wish…"
She stopped, tears falling from her face.
"Et's all her fault. Why didn't ya just grow a backbone, Punz?!" she was shouting at the stone. She covered her face in her hands and sobbed. Jack watched on, unsure of what to do. The tears slowly subsided and she apologized, walking away.
He approached the stone and replaced the old flowers with the new ones he had brought. He came to visit her once a month, but this one was special- it was the anniversary. Her parents would be by in the morning, but tonight was the night he found her. The night he had gotten the note. That moment, when he had felt her skin and seen the pills, haunted him every night. He would wake up covered in sweat, or with tears running down his face, or both. He wanted to call her, hear her voice, despite the fact that he knew she wouldn't pick up the phone. It just seemed so unreal.
"Hey Goldilocks."
The fog swirled around, dispelling from the area.
"It's me again. I got a call, turns out they want to hire me on full time. So things are kinda looking up, I guess."
The ground felt a bit warmer, and he smiled at the memory of how excited she was when he had shown her his acceptance letter to the nearby university. Surely that's how she would be now, smiling and hugging him and congratulating him. Her eyes would light up and she would give him a peck on the cheek.
"I brought the letter again." Every time he came to visit he brought the letter. And every time, without fail, he chickened out. He didn't even know what he was so afraid of. Maybe she had completely written him off and told him to get lost. He wasn't sure if he could handle that. Maybe she had told him that she loved him, and that she was sorry- he knew he couldn't handle that. Or maybe, just maybe, this letter was the only thing keeping her alive, and reading it would make her death final. Either way, he knew it had to be done. Hiccup was right. He couldn't keep living like this.
He opened it up and her scent hit him hard. Tears threatened as the memories came flooding in. He pushed them away. As he unfolded the paper, her familiar handwriting came into view.
My dearest Jack,
I don't even know where to begin. I love you so much, I hope you know that. Don't you ever forget it, either.
I want you also to know that the last eleven months have been wonderful. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my time than with you. You made me laugh, you held me when I cried, you were everything and more. When you asked me to run away with you, I wanted to say yes so badly. I wanted to jump into your arms and never let go. Sometimes I think about where you'll be when this is all over, what new life you will eventually find. I hope you don't give up when I'm gone.
I also want to explain my actions. I'm sorry that it had to be like this. I couldn't continue on, though. I couldn't bear the guilt of keeping our secret from my parents, or the painful thought of what might happen if they found out. What is even more painful is the fact that I didn't have the guts to stand up to them. I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough, and I'm sorry that you had to suffer because of that.
I love you, Jack. You mean the world to me.
'Think of me,
Think of me fondly,
When we've said goodbye.
Remember me,
Every so often,
Promise me you'll try.
Think of me,
Please say you'll think of me,
Whatever else you choose to do;
There will never be a day when
I won't think of you.'
Your amour interdit,
Rapunzel
Jack wiped the tears from his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She loved him. She had wanted to run away with him. She enjoyed their time together. He looked back up at the tombstone, and it seemed to glow in the silver light of the moon.
"I always think of you, and I always will. I love you too, Rapunzel. You are my sunshine."
As he drove home later that night, an odd sense of peace came over him. For the first time in a long time, things might just turn out alright.