Her heart squeezed painfully as fear sinks in, the warmth being sucked out of the air and causing her to shiver. Her fingers tighten around her frying pan and she parts her lips to call out to her friends but her voice dies on her lips. She's terrified. And she doesn't know why.
At least, not until she hears his voice, smooth as silk.
"It seems like your friends have abandoned you. Just as you always knew they would." Pitch steps out from thicket of trees, hands at his sides, black coat down to his feet. The only sound Rapunzel can hear is her own heavy breathing and her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
"You're wrong," she spits out, taking a step back, positioned to throw herself at him and hit him with her frying pan. Pitch lets out an amused sound through his thin lips and his head cocks to the side with a mildly interested glance in Rapunzel's direction. "My friends are coming back for me."
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Rapunzel." His tone is even and cold and it sends shivers down Rapunzel's spine. She swallows thickly and she stands taller, willing herself to ignore what he's trying to do. "Don't you see?" He continued, "You're the weakest link of the group." Rapunzel parted her lips to retort but her voice caught in her throat when Pitch appeared in front of her faster than she had seen anyone move. Even faster than Bunny. She tensed as he circled her like a hungry hawk, slender fingers combing through her hair as he spoke. "It's not wonder they were so eager to leave you here. And you poor child, you would have waited here for hours, like an obedient little puppy."
"Stop it!" Rapunzel raised the hand with the pan with enough force to knock even the largest man in the guard down. But she hit nothing but air and Pitch was standing a good feet away from her.
"That's not how you treat the man who's going to spare you."
"Spare me? From what, your talking?" Rapunzel asked, irritated. Her heart was still pounding in her ears and she cast a worried glance around. Wouldn't the other have heard her shouting by now? What if they really had left her? What if—
"For when I bring down your friends. You couldn't have been foolish enough to believe you would always win, did you? That was just a warm up, and the real battle is coming. Can't you feel it in the air?"
"No!" Rapunzel straightened herself up and glowered at him viciously. "I don't need you to spare me because you're not going to win."
"Don't you get it?" Pitch asked, as casual as if he'd been asking about the weather. He waved a thin hand in front of him. "Once I bring you along with me — because you will be coming with me, willingly or not, your friends won't be far behind. They'll be angry. Vulnerable. I'll break their will."
"They're stronger than you think they are. They won't—"
"You are their will, child. And when I break you, I will break them in the process." His lips curled into a light smirk and he shrugged his shoulders lightly. If you had blinked, you would have missed the motion. Rapunzel's eyes widened as she stared at Pitch. "And I will bre—"
Dark, twinkling dust rose quickly from the ground, blocking Pitch's right side. As quickly as it had risen, it turned an icy color and froze in place. Rapunzel turned to see where it had come from and all she saw was a blur of blue, white, and brown before it skidded to a halt before her, crouched. She jerked, startled. When she looked down to see Jack with his staff outstretched and pointed at Pitch, a wave of relief washed over her and the warmth slowly began to return.
"Didn't you know it isn't very nice to pick on, well, anyone?" Jack asked as he stood up, an icy glare locked on Pitch, who seemed amused by the boy suddenly appearing.
"Picking on?" Pitch shook his head. "I'm afraid you've got it all wrong, Jack. I was merely… Offering Rapunzel the easiest choice."
Jack's brow twitched, confusion crossing his features before he let out a huff. "I don't believe you. And even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference. You won't hurt Rapunzel as long as I'm around."
"That can be arranged," Pitch retorted coolly as he stepped closer. An arrow whizzed past his face, barely missing his nose. He stopped short and turned to glare at who had shot it, only to see Merida and Hiccup sitting on the dragon's back. Merida had another arrow against the bow, aiming at Pitch.
"Next time," she exclaimed, loud and clear. "Ah won't be missing." Her gaze was calm but fierce in a way only Merida could pull off. Rapunzel's heart squeezed again, but this time, there was no pain. Only love.
"Yeah, what she said," came Hiccup from behind Merida as he helped guide Toothless to the ground behind Jack and Rapunzel. Toothless gave a huff and he squared himself for battle, teeth barred at Pitch.
"Don't you see, Pitch? As long as we're together and as long as we're friends, you are never going to take us down." Rapunzel stepped around Jack, who reached a hand out to grab her arm. He gave her a cautious look, warning her not to move any closer. She gave him a small smile and nodded before she turned her gaze to Pitch. "I might be the 'weakest' link in the group, but I know, in my heart, that we're strongest when we're together."
Anger crossed Pitch's features and left quickly, looking eerily calm. His gaze racked over the five standing before him. Finally, his gaze fell on Rapunzel and he offered a smirk. "All in time, my dear. We will meet again and next time, you won't be so… Protected," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Until next time." He bowed and then a moment later, he sunk into the ground and was gone.
"Rapunzel!" She blinked and turned, only to have Merida throw her arms around her. "Are yew alright?" Merida pulled back to look Rapunzel over for any injures. "We're sorry we took so long. Some Nightmares caught up to us and Jack raced ahead to make sure yew were alright."
"I'm fine," Rapunzel replied with a soft smile. She was, in truth, fine. Startled, but fine.
"Next time, I say we stay in groups of two," Hiccup suggested, looking between his friends. "Or just… go together." He raised his arm as Toothless nuzzled into his side and he smiled down at the dragon. "Of course you're coming too, buddy."
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Jack asked, leaning against his staff as if he didn't have a care in the world. His eyes, however, showed concern and Rapunzel shook her head in response. "What was he talking about?"
"I-" Rapunzel frowned slightly and then she shook her head. "Nothing. Well, not nothing. He, er, he wanted me to go with him. He wanted to hurt you guys by hurting me." She sighed at the worried glances thrown her way. "I couldn't have handled him," she finally said, pushing hair away from her face. "He did say he was going to come back. That there was a battle coming."
Merida's gaze flickered over to Jack and then Hiccup. "We should get back to my home. There we can tell my father."
"And then we can go tell my dad. I mean, the more people, and dragons, we have, the better, right?" Hiccup asked.
"I'm not sure," Jack responded, surprising everyone. "We still don't know what Pitch is playing at." He looked up. "Having an army of dragons might sound good, but if Pitch can get to them, if he can scare them enough…" He trailed off, shaking his head. He didn't want to think about the mess that could come from that.
"C'mon. Let's just… Let's just go back. We'll figure everything out then." Rapunzel smiled at everyone, despite her stomach rolling with anxiety about Jack's theory. She turned and began to lead everyone back. On one side, she had Merida, and on the other, Jack. Beside Merida, Hiccup walked and Toothless was beside him. She would protect them, no matter what. And she knew the only way to do that was to stay together.
Pitch might have fear to work with, but they had something better. They had hope.