Part I: Snatched

oOo

Jack's body hit the ice hard. If he could feel cold, he was sure he would've. Pitch's mocking laughter echoed down the crevice, fading as Jack's staff clattered against the ground. It was over. He was as useless as his now broken staff. He had always been useless.

oOo

Merida searched for any sign of her mother in the bear, but all that stared back at her were the eyes of an animal. Her face crumpled, and she wrenched her shoulders in a sob.

"Oh mum...I'm sorry," she choked out. The bear blinked blankly.

"This is all my fault," Merida said, "I did this to you."

oOo

Rapunzel tried to press her hair at Eugene's wound. He protested weakly, pushing her hands away.

"I can't let you do this," he said. Tears welled up in Rapunzel's eyes.

"And I can't let you die," she replied. Eugene shook his head.

"But if you do this, then you will die," he said. Rapunzel shushed him, and gave him a sad smile.

"Hey," she said, "It's gonna be alright." Again, Eugene shook his head.

"Wait, Rapunzel," he said.

oOo

Hiccup felt himself slipping before it happened. He tried desperately to grab onto Toothless, but the dragon's ears barely escaped his fingers. And then he was falling. The heat of the dragon king's exploding body was so great on his back he felt like he was burning. Maybe he was burning, he couldn't be sure. Maybe he was screaming, or maybe his mouth was simply open in silent terror. He closed his eyes, waiting for the flames to engulf him, or the ground to snap him like glass.

Time seemed to slow as the moment neared, the heat beneath him cooled, and the sounds of the battle faded to nothing. And with a jolt, he hit cold water. His eyes snapped open. He'd had no time to take a breath, and he could not tell up from down. He began to flail his arms sluggishly, but could not find the surface. Then he was falling again. He dropped to the ground with a loud thud, and moaned at the pain he felt all over. Summoning the courage, he opened his eyes.

He was dead. Oh, gods he was dead. The island had completely disappeared, as had the dragons and the battle. He was laying in the middle of a dark forest thick with fog. The branches above were so dense he could not see the sky, and the ground he was laying on was damp. Even though there was no discernible light source, he could see quite clearly, as if the entire world emitted a slight glow. Slowly, Hiccup got to his feet. He felt his clothes and hair; they were soaking wet.

"Toothless?" he called, though he didn't really expect an answer. Dragons were fireproof, after all. Toothless would've survived the blast just fine. Just like Hiccup thought, there was no—

"...hello...?"someone called, faintly.

"Hello?!" Hiccup yelled in the direction he thought the shout came from.

"...who's there...?" Hiccup started walking towards the voice.

"Over here!"

"...over where...?" Hiccup started to run, careful not to trip on the undergrowth.

"Here—ah!" he shouted, crashing into someone and knocking them both to the ground. The someone scrambled out from under him.

"Who are you!" she yelled with a thick scottish accent. She pulled a knife from her belt and held it out at Hiccup. He got to his feet slowly, holding his hands up.

"My name is Hiccup...who are you?"

"How did I get here?" the girl snarled, "What spell did you use?" Hiccup frowned.

"I didn't bring you here. I don't even know how I got here," Hiccup said. The girl narrowed her eyes, bringing the knife up higher.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" she said.

"Does he look like he has magic?" a third voice muttered. Hiccup and the girl whirled to face another boy. He had white hair and was standing barefoot, arms crossed, a few feet away.

"Who are you?!" the girl demanded, pointing her knife at him. A look of confusion came over the boy's face.

"Wait a second, you can see me?" he said.

"Of course," Hiccup replied. A half-smile flickered across the boy's face, then turned into a scowl.

"Don't pretend you're going to stab me with that," he said to the girl. She took a step closer.

"Who are you?" The boy looked from her face to the knife and back.

"Fine. I'm Jack Frost," he said, "What about you?"

"I am Merida, firstborn descendant of Clan Dunbroch. I demand you tell me how we got here."

"Well I'm sorry Princess, but I don't know either. One minute I was laying at the bottom of an ice crevice, the next I fell into this freaky forest. So you tell me how we got here." Merida lowered the knife slowly.

"And how do I know you're telling the truth?" she said.

"You don't," Jack snapped. Merida debated for a moment, then sheathed her knife and flicked a strand of wet hair out of her face.

"Okay, good," Hiccup said, "Now that we've put all the weapons away, maybe we can figure out where exactly we are."

"We're in a forest, obviously," Merida said. Hiccup nodded.

"I'd gathered that," he said, "But I was thinking more: where is the forest?" Jack looked up.

"You can't see the stars from here," he said, "Hold on a second." He braced himself, then jumped, and fell back to the ground with a crash and a groan. Hiccup slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from smiling. Merida, on the other hand, burst out laughing.

"What?" Jack muttered to himself, getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

"What did you expect was going to happen?" Merida pointed out. Jack glared at her.

"I—I...don't know," he said.

"Oh, wee lamb," Merida cooed. Jack crossed his arms.

"I'd like to see you figure out where we are," he snapped. Merida smirked, and walked over to one of the tall pine trees. She grabbed hold of the bark and started climbing. Jack and Hiccup watched in amazement as she scaled the trunk effortlessly.

"Woah," Hiccup said as she disappeared into the thick branches, "She showed you."

Jack scoffed.

"Anyone could do that," he said. Hiccup raised an eyebrow, and motioned towards the pine.

"Be my guest." Jack leaned back against an oak tree.

"No use both of us going up there," he retorted. Hiccup grinned.

"Of course," he replied. About ten minutes later, Merida reappeared.

"Anything?" Hiccup called up to her. She gave a muffled reply.

"What?" he said as she made it to the ground. She turned to face them, concern clearly showing on her face.

"Nothing," she said.

"You mean the stars aren't familiar?"

"No," Merida said, "I mean there aren't any. The sky is black as ink. It's not like anything I've ever seen."

"So then what do we do?" Jack asked. Both he and Merida looked to Hiccup expectantly.

"Um..." Hiccup said, surprised at the sudden responsibility, "I think we should start walking through the forest, try to find the edge."

"And which way is that?" Jack asked, back to sarcasm. Hiccup looked around him.

"Well..." he said, "Any way, right now." All three of them stood still for a moment, undecided on what to do next.

"Um...this way," Hiccup said. He pointed to his right.

"Alright," Merida said.

"Fine," said Jack. And so they started off in that direction, walking as much in a straight line as they could. It was hard to tell exactly what was straight in this forest, due to the fog. The tree Hiccup used as a reference faded in and out of sight, and so he found himself unsure of which direction he was supposed to be heading. He didn't tell Merida and Jack, but he had the distinct feeling they were going in a circle.

As they walked, Merida started wringing the water out of her hair. It was tasking work, requiring all the the muscles she'd built up doing archery. And even when she got a few chunks of hair moderately dry, they seemed to start dripping water all over again a few minutes later. Her dress was even worse. The thick fabric was not meant for being wet in a cold forest, and it clung to her and made her shiver. If the boys noticed, they didn't say anything, and neither of them seemed remotely bothered about being soaking wet. It's annoying, Merida thought. Eventually she gave up on her hair and just flung it over her shoulder. It wouldn't stay, of course, but it was better than nothing.

Jack, walking in the back of the line, made sure Merida and Jack weren't watching before he tried a little hop into the air, hoping the air would catch him and carry him up to the treetops. It didn't, and he landed back on the ground with a wet squilsh of moss and dead leaves. Luckily the others seemed too lost in their own thoughts to notice. Discretely, Jack cupped his hands and blew cold air into them, trying to form a snowball. Nothing. His powers were gone, completely. Forcing himself to breathe normally, Jack shoved his hands down in the pocket of his hoodie.

It wasn't until the fourth time Hiccup passed the twisted tree with the moss shaped like a heart that he forced the group to stop. By this time, Merida's hair was beginning to become springy again, and she had pulled the hem of her dress up and tucked it into her belt to keep it from weighing her down. Jack had pulled his hood up and over his forehead, and hunched his shoulders moodily. Both of them were tired, irritated, and not going to take the bad news well. They watched, annoyed, as Hiccup put his thoughts together.

"Well?" Merida said, prodding him.

"We've seen this tree four times," Hiccup said, pointing to the tree with the heart shaped moss.

"What?" Merida snapped.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jack muttered.

"We're going in circles," Hiccup said, "It's too hard to get anywhere with the fog."

"We've been walking for hours!" Jack said.

"I know, and we need to rest," Hiccup replied. Merida shook her head furiously.

"We can't stop!" she protested. Jack scoffed, turning his eyes skyward.

"Kill me now," he said under his breath.

"It's the truth!" Merida said, "We've no food. No water. We need to get out of this forest!"

"And that's not gonna happen if we keep wandering around aimlessly!" Jack replied. Hiccup stepped between the two, shouting over their argument.

"Okay, okay, OKAY!" he exclaimed, "Merida, we do need to get out of here. Jack, we do need a new plan. Let's rest for awhile and try to come up with something. Alright?"

Grudgingly, Merida and Jack gave their approval.

"Alright," Hiccup said. He sat down. Merida sat down immediately after, but Jack walked over to a tree and sat down so he could lean against it. Pulling his hood farther over his eyes, he closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Merida asked. Jack cracked open one eye and looked at them.

"Resting," he replied, "Because I'm tired. Let me know when you come up with something."

"You can't sleep—" Merida started to protest, but Hiccup put a hand on her arm and shook his head. She pulled her arm away from him, but let Jack alone anyway.

"We need to focus on getting out of here. Any ideas?" Merida thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"I've never been farther than the lands surrounding Castle Dunbroch. I know those woods as well as any huntsman—better—but I've never seen a forest like this one. It's magic, and dangerous at that." Hiccup watched her, curious.

"You really think magic is real?" he asked. Merida drew herself up stiffly.

"Think it? I know it! I've seen it!" she said. Hiccup smiled.

"Court magicians don't count. They're tricksters, all of them," he said. Merida crossed her arms, further offended.

"I'm no child!" She said, "The magic I speak of is a dark art, practiced only by the most untrustworthy of villains. It can even transform a person into a bear."

"A person into a bear?" Hiccup said, incredulous. Merida nodded.

"Sounds like quite a circus," Hiccup said. Narrowing her eyes, Merida punched him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he protested.

"I've seen it!" was all she said in reply. Hiccup shrugged.

"Anyway," he said, "We need to get out of here." Merida looked around at the trees with a sigh. She was far better at making problems than solving them. Hiccup watched her expression grow sad, eyebrows arching up her forehead and hands knitting together in her lap.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Merida looked up, sorrow wiped from her face.

"We can't find our way out of this forest, that's what's wrong!" Merida exclaimed.

"The problem is, we don't even know how to keep going in a line. Walk far enough and we'll eventually get out of it, but if we're not going straight it doesn't matter." Merida nodded. Closing her eyes, she scrunched up her nose and tried very hard to think of what to do. Hiccup mused quietly to himself. As Merida tried to come up with something, she felt her thoughts start to wander off topic. When she wasn't able to see the fog, the forest felt almost like the one back home. The ground was the same, moist and giving, and covered in slick leaves. If there had been birdsong, she could have almost imagined she was home. I wish he'd be quiet, Merida thought as Hiccup stood and started pacing. He was making too much noise, nearly drowning out the relaxing sound of flowing water.

Eyes snapping open, Merida sat up very straight.

"Do you think that would work?" Hiccup asked, referring to whatever Merida hadn't been listening to.

"What? No. Be quiet," she snapped.

"What?" he asked, shifting on the leaves again. Merida grabbed his arm and pulled him down to the ground, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Shhh!" she hissed. Then she closed her eyes, and opened her ears. Hiccup mumbled under her hand.

"Hush!" Very, very confused, he did as he was told. After a second of quiet, Merida began to smile. She opened her eyes and looked at Hiccup.

"I've found our way out," she said. Grabbing a pinecone beside her, she threw it at Jack. It bounced of his head, and he opened his eyes angrily.

"Hey!" he protested.

"Come on numbskulls!" Merida said, jumping to her feet and heading off in a random direction. Exchanging a confused glance, Hiccup and Jack lurched to their feet and ran after her before she disappeared in the fog. They heard her squeal with delight.

"What is going on?" Jack demanded as he and Hiccup skidded to a halt behind her. Merida pointed down at a tiny stream in front of them. It was no more than three feet across.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Jack repeated. Merida crossed her arms.

"It's moving water, which means it must be going downhill, which means it will probably exit the forest at some point."

"And if it doesn't?" Jack asked.

"You wanted a plan," Merida shot back.

"Hey, okay," Hiccup said, playing peacemaker, "Let's just get going. It's all we've got."

And so they set out, following the stream. It wavered back and forth, never widening more than six feet, and sometimes narrowing to only a foot across. Merida walked confidently in front, arms swinging back and forth in an unladylike manner. Her hair was long since dry, and Hiccup found himself marveling at the mess of bouncing curls. They were as red as dragon's flame—his heart pounded just a little faster at the memory—and unruly, sliding over and around each other like snakes. They extended far beyond her head, making her look almost top heavy. And when she skipped a step happily, which she did every few steps, they jerked about wildly.

Hiccup was distracted from Merida's hair by Jack's muttering to himself.

"She hit me with a pinecone," he said under his breath, "A pinecone!" Hiccup tried not to look behind him, but he couldn't help snickering a little. Jack was even odder than Merida. The worst that could be said for the princess was her rapidly changing moods, but Jack was a different matter altogether. He seemed constantly bitter, talked to himself, and Hiccup wasn't entirely sure he was sane. The strange clothes, and the strange hair, and the distinct lack of shoes made him even more mysterious.

"Hey Jack," he said over his shoulder.

"What?" Jack said.

"When you first came into the clearing, you asked us if we could see you, what did you mean?" Hiccup turned and started walking backwards to see Jack's reaction. The boy shrugged.

"Most people ignore me," he said, "I don't have many friends." At the front of the line, Merida scoffed.

"Imagine that," she muttered. Jack scowled.

"But why wouldn't we see you?" Hiccup pressed. Jack's scowl deepened.

"None of your business," he snapped.

"Alright," Hiccup said, shrugging, "Alright, that's cool too." His foot caught on a root and nearly sent him sprawling to the ground. A momentary smile flicked across Jack's face, then he forced the scowl back on.

"Maybe you should turn around," he said. Grinning sheepishly, Hiccup turned, just in time to see Merida shout happily and run forward. He started out after her, making sure to watch his feet for any more roots. Abruptly, he was out of the forest and free of the fog.

Merida turned, facing Hiccup and Jack. Bluish light, different from the grey-green of the forest, cloaked her. It washed out the color of her hair, but could not hide the delighted expression on her face.

"We're out!" she said, giggling like a child. Jack stepped forwards, looking beyond the girl.

"But where are we?" he said. Hiccup followed his gaze. They stood on a tall hill, covered in grass. The ground swept down below them smoothly, and they could see everything in front of them. And it was strange.

oOo

Rapunzel walked through the forest, soaking wet and shivering. Her hair trailed behind her limply.

"Hello?" she called for the umpteenth time, "Is anyone there?" She could not think of how she got where she was. One minute she was with an injured Eugene, and the next she was sitting in a pond in the forest. She had seen no signs of humanity since she started walking, nor did she recognize anything around her.

As tears began to gather in her eyes, her hair snagged on something and she came crashing down to the ground. She sat up, and began pulling roughly at the mass of hair behind her, but it was caught tightly and was not letting go. Rapunzel gave up, and pulled her knees up to her chest, sobbing. Get UP! She screamed at herself. Eugene needs you! He's DYING somewhere out there. But even as her thoughts went on, her muscles refused to obey them. Emptiness pushed down on her chest, making breathing even harder.

Beyond her loud sobs, Rapunzel heard a faint noise. She stopped immediately, looking around frantically to see what it was. A shadow in the forest began to come forward, separating itself from the rest of the darkness. Rapunzel scrambled backwards on all fours, but her hair slowed her down. As the figure came closer, she let out a scream.

So that's it for the first chapter. I've never written any ROBTD stuff before, but I thought I would try it out. I've had some free time lately too, and I've been getting back into writing. Anyway, let me know if this is worth pursuing, and thanks for reading!