Rapunzel pressed her palms on the wooden platform, peering straight down from the door. The boy was nowhere to be seen, like he just disappeared into thin air after tripping. Maybe he wasn't even there to begin with. Maybe that could've just been a memory, a memory of how Gothel tripped over and plummeted straight down in the same unspectacular fashion. Then again, he looked so real.
She gripped her short, brown hair with her hands. "Oh, what did I just do? I just let another person die to this tower!" she says, tears forming in her eyes.
Eugene just walked up to her, trying to comfort her. "Hey. It'll be alright," he says, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Besides, that was old age last time."
Rapunzel just buried her face in her hands, crying herself out, crying because he couldn't save him. It was nothing like Gothel. This boy, although she could barely get a look at him, he looked much younger. Gothel was so old to the point where there wasn't even a body intact upon reaching the ground. This boy, he looked young, playful, and energetic. It was quite strange to think of how he could be like that— his hair was white, after all.
Climbing up onto the wooden platform at the door, she decided to take a look down. However, there was no way she could get down this way. No hair meant no quick way down, and taking the quick way down like that would be suicide. Climbing down from the outside wasn't worth the risk either, as taking the stairwell inside was much faster.
Squinting, Rapunzel saw nothing but the meadow and the small pond below. It was a view she's seen so many times before when she was younger, seeing the outside world from her tower. Before she knew who Gothel really was, before she met Flynn Rider, before her hair was cut.
She sighed, the view bringing back so many memories of her days spent up here. She was captivated by the incredible view, not because she could see so much, but because it brought back her best memories of being up here.
"How about 23 out of 45?" she whispers to herself, pretending Pascal were here. Eugene couldn't hear her, but he knew what she was thinking.
"Remembering your good times up here, are you?" Eugene asks Rapunzel, dawdling over to her.
Rapunzel just sighed. "Why haven't I ever come back here since leaving? I mean, sure, she's kept me here for eighteen years, but… there's just so many good memories from being here."
Always light in the dark. Those eighteen years of a missing princess may have been dark, but there were always good times, always a bright side to everything that doesn't go one's way.
"You looking for me?" a voice rose from behind them. Rapunzel turned to Eugene, and Eugene turned to her.
"Did you say that?" they both ask each other simultaneously. "No."
They heard a chuckle from inside the tower and whipped around to find the same boy standing right there. The same young, white–haired boy who just fell out of the tower a minute ago. Yet he was standing right in front of them.
In shock, Rapunzel gave him a taste of her frying pan, hitting him square in the cheek. The low, hollow sound resonated throughout the tower. So loud to the point where anyone in the meadow could hear it and be alarmed that something was going on up in the tower.
The boy just stumbled back, still conscious. It was an extremely hard hit, yes, but tough he was. It hurt, yes, but he's been worse. Much worse. He was aware that the attack came out of fear; no girl that innocent looking would dare attack first. He held his staff, which closely resembled a shepherd's crook. Frost crept up the staff, gathering around his hand.
Rapunzel approached him, pointing her frying pan at him just in case he would try to do something crazy. Although she was used to being with people by now, she, nor anyone, was used to seeing this boy. White hair on a teenager wasn't normal. Also, he was barefoot, like Rapunzel. In a way, she felt this boy has gone through events similar to her past. His eyes were open, bright blue and staring at Rapunzel.
"Jack Frost," he says in a curt fashion, climbing atop his staff.
"And then, well, she was changed back. When she was on the brink of having the spell become permanent, she was changed back," finishes Merida.
Hiccup was at least able to understand the story enough to know what she meant. Spell, magic, tapestry, bears…
Mor'du.
He may be dead, according to Merida, but the way Merida gave her description of Mor'du sounded like the demon bear still haunted her to this day. Humongous, scars all over the bear's body. A glowing yellow eye paired with a dead red eye on his deformed face. Definitely in–depth. One could just picture the black bear tearing everything to shreds. It's even tougher to think that he as a prince. Destroying that kingdom, killing his three younger brothers.
At least Hiccup now knew the meaning behind Fergus's sudden actions, trying to strike him down. They've lost Elinor once, and they're not losing her again.
Merida headed back over the table, slipping a tray of pastries under the table. The boys ducked under, out of sight from Fergus and Elinor, and began munching on the pastries.
She stepped by and ran a hand through her wild hair, watching as the three redheads below dug in. "Only a few more months until I get my desserts back," says Merida, sighing. It felt forever since she's actually had her desserts. It was tough, having to give them to the triplets for a whole year, but after all, it was what she had to do to save her mother's life.
Mother. Bear. Saving her life. She no longer looks at her mother with prejudice. Not after all they've gone through.
Merida sighed again before heading back over to Hiccup, offering him a pastry that she managed to sneak off from the tray before she gave it to the triplets. Watching them, Hiccup took a mental note to avoid those three. Small can mean dangerous, as learned when he was younger, watching Tuffnut getting horribly beaten by a Terrible Terror in Dragon Training.
"Oh! I'm hurt! I am very much hurt!" Hiccup could almost hear Tuffnut's voice all the way from Berk to DunBroch, a one and a half day trip by dragon. Who knew how long it would take to get to Berk from here by ship?
Hiccup accepted the offering, taking the pastry off Merida's hands. "Thanks," he says, taking a bite.
Merida watched her family eating at the table. Hiccup expected Merida to be called over to the table by Elinor, but for some reason, she never was. The entire family didn't even care a bit that Merida was next to Hiccup most of the time.
"You know you should apologize to him," says Merida.
Hiccup froze in the middle of taking a bite. "When he's the one who started that?"
"Ah forget it!" she exclaims, grabbing hold of Hiccup's arm. She dragged him over to the table, right next to Fergus, who stood up.
Fergus towered Hiccup, almost twice his height. Hiccup, being so much shorter than Fergus, spotted his left peg–leg. Hiccup looked down at his own prosthetic left leg, observing the metal foot and spring used for flying Toothless.
"Look. I'm sorry about earlier," starts Fergus. Wow. No one was expecting him to jump straight to that topic. Most people would at least expect someone to introduce themselves first before jumping onto the main idea.
"Fergus," says Elinor, beaming at him.
Fergus shot a look at Elinor. "Okay, fine. Fergus. King of DunBroch," he says in a light-headed way, almost like he was sleeping. It sounded like he was half–asleep and drunk at the same time.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Chief of Berk," replies Hiccup, imitating the king's tone. No one in the room could help but crack a smile, including Hiccup and Fergus.
Elinor jokingly shot Fergus a long stare, face pointed toward the table with her brown eyes pointed upward, right at her husband. "What was that?"
Everyone in the room just let out a small chuckle. There was no one inside except for Elinor, Fergus, Merida, Hiccup, and the triplets. The triplets were still under the table, but Hiccup and Merida could see one of them attaching something onto a leg of the table.
Hiccup's leg twitched, inching toward the red haired boy as he started fiddling with Fergus's peg–leg. He was stopped by Merida, who deliberately stuck her arm out in front of Hiccup. Hiccup shot a glance at her, and she shook her head before a light smirk appeared on her lips.
"What's this all about?" starts Fergus, inching toward Toothless.
Instinctively, Toothless backed off from him, still not fully trusting him after what he just attempted less than an hour ago. He bared his teeth, but it didn't seem to strike anything into Fergus. After his battles against Mor'du, he's practically become a fearless warrior, vowed to protect his family from any danger.
And to anyone who has never seen a dragon before, they would expect him to be hostile.
Suddenly, the door to the room burst open. In stepped a guard, the same one from the front gate. Not the sleeping fish bone, who was probably still dozing off on the job. The other, less dreadful guard, who had a look more worried than pissed or bored.
In no time at all, everyone was sprinting through the castle, warriors and maidens alike. Hiccup and Toothless came along, dodging those who ran the opposite direction, into the safe shelter provided by the sturdy walls of the castle. This doesn't look good, he thinks to himself, watching the frightened faces of those fleeing.
Upon stepping outside the castle, the sky was almost completely dark, the moon shining full and bright.
But it would be difficult to miss the ball of fire raining down on the place.
The three of them stepped into the castle, the ornate building shining bright in the sunset. The Corona emblem appearing everywhere they looked: the sun with five points. A perfect place for royalty, but all in all, the entire kingdom looked like it was prospering, nothing getting in the way. Everything was perfect ever since Rapunzel returned after eighteen years.
To Jack, the place looked very promising. He still didn't understand how the two of them could see him. Often, those who believed in him and the Guardians were children under the age of ten years old. The two of them looked to be in their young adult years. In fact, he wasn't even sure if other people could see him. Sometimes, when walking through the kingdom, several bystanders would stare at him like he was actually there. Maybe they could, as a select few, specifically grown–ups, kept an eye on him for a long time. And having a grown–up see him or any of the other Guardians would be a huge thing.
But little did he know that Rapunzel was the princess. Not until she stated in clear words, "this is my home," upon entering the castle.
"I love the view from the place," whispers Eugene upon stepping inside.
The polished floors provided a slightly distorted reflection of those who walked over it, but Jack wasn't just interested in the floor. The design of the entire place— the layout, the ornaments, everything. It was just incredible.
Throughout the castle, Jack couldn't look anywhere without finding the Corona emblem. It was just everywhere, except for on the floor, of course (unless he was staring down at a rug). The five–pointed sun with a violet background seemed to mean a lot to the residents of the kingdom.
They reached Rapunzel's room, surprisingly being spotted by no one. Except for the guards outside, no one's seen them trotting throughout the castle.
Rapunzel's room was similar to those in the castle, but there was an extra element added. Every wall, every ceiling, paintings covered them. Not paintings in frames, but the walls were painted on directly, like the ones in that tower. The exact same way, in the exact same style.
A tiny creature emerged from a corner, giving Jack an evil look. It was green, and it looked mean, but still small. Definitely suspicious about him, giving the fact that Jack's never seen it
"Pascal!" exclaims Rapunzel, allowing the chameleon to climb onto her shoulder. Perched up there, now around eye–level with Jack, he was able to look even more intimidating.
Jack just smirked, barely showing his white teeth. Green turned into red in front of him as Pascal made a feeble attempt at looking even more dangerous. It's not like he already did, though.
Nothing more to see in the castle, Rapunzel guided Jack back outside the front of the castle, where all the fun in the kingdom happens, according to her and Eugene. They passed by the guards again, and Jack noticed both of them wielding frying pans. Taking a look back at Rapunzel's frying pan, he began to wonder why everyone carried around frying pans. They're supposed to be used for cooking, not for… whatever else they could be used for.
A line of guards assembled in two lines, facing each other. Each one stood stout, holding up a frying pan. A white stallion trotted down the line, inspecting each guard for anything off or suspicious. No gaps, no movement, nothing.
"Hey, Max!" says Eugene as the horse reaches the end of the line. He tossed a sack toward him, which landed in front of him on its side. Out spilled several apples, catching the horse's attention.
Max dug into the apples, and Eugene sighed at the sight. Coming across that many apples these days was tough with Max rolling all over the place. Really, the guards seemed to be the main cause, as every time an apple went missing, it went to a guard, and then it went to Maximus. That, or the guards are always purchasing all of the apples as soon as they're available. Either way, the number of apples in the kingdom was constantly low.
Upon noticing Jack, which really didn't take that long, Max ran up to him, threatening with a dagger. The hilt was held in his mouth, the blade pointed right at him as if he were about to stab Jack. Jack held his hands up calmly, staff between his palms and thumb.
Max pointed the dagger at his staff, threatening to split it in half if he didn't drop it. Jack raised an eyebrow and dropped it, landing like a block on the stone path.
Their attention was turned away by a sudden explosion, sounding too close for comfort. The sound of pebbles rolling on the sidewalk could be heard over a million times as one building swelled up in flames. Smoke billowed from the place as screams were heard, followed by the sight of people fleeing the place.
"Fire!" screams one person who was fleeing.
Everyone rushed over to the place, watching as flames devoured one building. It was dangerous, probably capable of taking down a whole strip of the kingdom. The heat could be felt from their current spot as they continued watching.
While everyone split off in an attempt to stop the fire quickly, Jack had something else in mind. He knew that all of this meddling around was pointless. He picked up his staff from the middle of the pathway before rushing over to help.
Forcefully, Jack drove his staff into the pavement. Frost crept from the impact spot in all directions before dying off in every direction except for toward the fire. It continued to the building, whose fire has spread considerably further. The frost encased the whole thing, the fire beginning to fade away just as quickly as it came.
Cheers and gasps of awe erupted from surrounding bystanders the second the last of the flames died out, leaving the entire building coated in a translucent layer of ice. Designs of snowflakes formed from more opaque portions of ice. By now, the whole fire was all but forgotten.
Replaced by a rain of fire emerging from the bright orange sunset.
Everyone's eyes widened as they rushed to shelters, death looming over the heads of many, before realizing that doing so was pointless and changed their course for the bridge. Only Jack Frost and the kingdom's mound–like formation protected them from the incoming attack.
But who could this possibly be coming from? No one said anything, no warning was even given. Heck, no catapults or ships were even spotted in the distance. But they just suddenly appeared along with the fire. Right from oblivion, from nowhere, like they rose out of the ocean.
Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal fled with Max, quickly reaching the bridge, which was congested with the crowd of people, all with one goal: get off the island. Lines of people filled the entire bridge, most pushing and shoving others in an attempt to get to safety, into the forest. The boats were too risky; whoever was attacking seemed to be coming in by ship, and leaving the ports was a one–way ticket straight to imprisonment, or even death. Soon, the three found themselves as part of the crowd, no longer royalty.
Jack held himself in the fire zone, intercepting the entire line of fireballs. He knew what he could do, and what he should be doing to protect the place. All at once, they burst in midair, missing Jack by mere inches. Judging from the continuous wave of missiles coming in, it would still be best to evacuate the kingdom rather than stay and fight. Even the guards have begun to make their way toward the bridge.
Some people on the bridge, which was filled up to its maximum capacity, found themselves being trampled by the oncoming crowd behind them, which they didn't even bother to look back for. It was just wild.
The kingdom's one–way–in, one–way–out design was proving to be their downfall. If, perhaps, there were more ways out of Corona other than by boat, then maybe everyone would have a better chance of escaping.
Rapunzel, Eugene, Pascal, and Max were still trapped in the huge crowd. Soon, they were split by a wave of citizens, each losing sight of each other as the crowd unintentionally dragged them apart. Rapunzel and Eugene found themselves on either side of the bridge, struggling across with the crowd. Pascal was trapped on Rapunzel's shoulder, sure to get trampled should he jump down. By now, they were halfway across, the midpoint of an unlikely getaway.
One hit could send the whole bridge, the whole kingdom tumbling down, along with a good chunk of its population. And after that, who takes care of the survivors? Where do they go? Hundreds to feed, and very little to give. People would end up fighting over every single grain they could get their hands on.
The entire kingdom rested on Jack's shoulders. Knowing that they had no chance in confronting them, his mission was nothing more than holding them off until the whole kingdom was clear. The castle doors burst open, followed by a sprinting king and queen. Servants ran alongside them, also looking to flee the island.
Bam. Right there. That's his priority. Now faced with the task of not only stopping the bridge from being destroyed, but now he must stop anything from even getting close to the royal family.
But that royal family also included Rapunzel, whom Jack had no idea as to where she was. If she and Eugene were lucky, they would be on the bridge by now.
Wave after wave came in, and Jack continued to intercept everything that came his way. But he could only hold them off for so long. Sooner or later, he will have to give out.
The back of the crowd reached the midpoint on the bridge just as the rest of the royal family reached the bridge. With nothing in the way this time, however, they could easily cover half of the bridge before they would have to join in with the crowd.
Now Jack no longer had to deflect everything, only those he was sure would hit the bridge, or come dangerously close to it. He shot up into the air, riding the wind above the bridge.
Scorchers continued to rain down on the kingdom of Corona, destroying everything in its path. The aim changed from the castle to the bridge in an attempt to catch a few stragglers, a few of the laggard who were falling behind the crowd.
Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal reached the end of the bridge, meeting up as citizens scattered in all directions. Max soon reached them, and without hesitating, they climbed onto Max. Most went to the right, away from the attackers, traveling along the tree line.
A fireball came soaring their way, the arc perfect for a clean hit. No chance to outrun this one now. The three just watched as the roaring projectile hurled itself toward them.
Suddenly, the thing blew up just before it reached them, all four feeling the searing heat of it. Pascal tried to hide at the back of Rapunzel's neck as if she still had her hair. Jack flew right past them, leaving the four watching in awe as Jack climbed the wind back toward the attackers.
As the king and queen reached the other end of the bridge, they were forced to go with the majority of the citizens, leaving Rapunzel, Eugene, Pascal, and Maximus on their own.
A straight line of fireballs came at Jack, and he gave it one swipe of his staff at close range. All at once, the formation exploded right in front of him, knocking the wind out of him. Literally. He was sent plummeting to the earth for the second time in one day, this time straight toward the end of the bridge. Just a few meters away from where Maximus stood.
Max was just about to start off into the forest before Jack crashed right next to them. Eugene dismounted, hauling Jack in his arms and somehow finding a way to hold his staff as well. He once again mounted Max, and Max zipped off into the woods. Straight, away from the majority of the crowd.
Rapunzel was given one last glimpse of her home, one last look to see ships sailing to the ports. As much as the kingdom was in shambles already, she was surprised they didn't just destroy the place completely. Her home was spared.
But maybe it wasn't in the way she wanted.
Hiccup sprinted as fast as he could through the castle, bouncing on his prosthetic leg. Toothless also struggled with following, unable to run for five seconds without crashing into a wall, shaking the entire castle. The two followed Merida to the top of a tower, seeking a good vantage point to find what happened.
But in the dead of night, it was pretty difficult to see anything. Nothing but blackness and lights from the rest of the kingdom to be seen. The scorched spot of what remained from the impact was embedded into the once perfect grass. Now, nothing but a black circle.
Toothless fired off a shot straight out, easily clearing every obstacle on the ground. A ring of fire extended out from the spot, expanding in all directions. It served as a light source for a very brief moment before it died out, no one finding anything.
Merida headed back down the tower from inside while Hiccup opted to fly down with Toothless. Reaching Fergus and Elinor first, He quickly dismounted Toothless and rushed over to them.
"Couldn't find anything," he says, although he still seemed to be searching the sky for anything.
Fergus let out a grunt, frustrated that nothing was found. It was just so mysterious. One projectile hit the middle of the kingdom, and nothing came after that. Who does that? Was it some sort of accident, or could it possibly be a warning shot?
"Then we keep looking," demands Fergus.
Hiccup gave a curt nod before once again flying out on Toothless. Just then, Merida emerged from the old doorway.
"You coming?" Hiccup asks her, holding out his hand. Clearly, he was looking for Merida to come with him and help search. Three pairs of eyes work better than two, after all. Even in the dark.
"No," replies Merida. She held her bow in one hand, arrow in another, seeming to be looking for something.
Hiccup and Toothless took off as Merida retreated back inside the castle. The entire place seemed to be restless with everyone scrambling all over the place, confused. Finding a torch, she held the tip of her arrow to it, watching as the flame spread onto the tip. Careful not to let it go out, she rushed to the top of a tower to find Hiccup and Toothless zip by.
Observing, Merida could not spot anything outside the kingdom. The entire castle was lit up as well as the rest of the kingdom, but nothing on the outskirts. Knowing the kingdom, she loaded an arrow and aimed it toward the lake. Making sure she wouldn't hit Toothless, she took a glance upward to find them flying in a circle.
Inhale. Exhale. Merida breathed deeply before letting the arrow loose, right down to the lake.
The arrow was able to at least reach the lake before ultimately going out. With an inaudible and invisible splash, it was gone. Nothing found.
Toothless released another shot, another ring of fire emerging from where it exploded. Lighting up an even larger area farther in the distance, Merida caught a small glimpse of a streak of brown, accompanied by some white.
Another flame emerged from the lake, but this time, it wasn't Toothless. It looked like a tiny speck of yellow from the tower, but up close, it was a different story.
Hiccup, who managed to actually get close, had it lit up just several meters away from him and Toothless. From up close, it looked like a giant ball of fire, like a rock made from fire. Catching a glimpse of those on the ship, he found most wearing masks and dark cloaks, like ghosts roaming around an old house. The masks weren't of any design that he knew of, easily proving that these didn't come from Berk. It also meant that a dragon didn't light this.
Suddenly, a catapult launched the projectile at an arc so perfect he knew the thing would hit the castle. Unsure of whether or not they have been spotted, Toothless gave it a shot, causing it to explode in midair. The flames lashed out at everything near it, but due to being in the air, nothing was near it. Debris followed shortly, but most of it just fell straight down into the lake.
Merida watched as the remains plummeted down into the lake, managing to catch a glimpse of what it came from. It seemed to come from a ship, the unknown banner design barely visible in the black of night.
Toothless gave the source of the fireball a shot, sending something alight. The ship, which was much larger than it would look from afar, loomed over the two as they rounded it.
Clutching her bow like a lifeline, Merida spotted the ship light up again. Thinking it was another fireball, she loaded an arrow, but a keen eye is key. She found Hiccup and Toothless round the vessel, watching as another caught fire.
She sprinted down the stairs, passing by Hubert and Hamish along the way. They seemed to be messing with Maudie again, as she brushed by her shortly after, the plump woman seeming to be looking out for something. Possibly Harris, as he wasn't with the two.
Out of the doors she burst, bumping straight into her father. He was just about to set off down to the spot of the sighting, watching as the two ships began their journey down to the bottom. Merida took Angus out of the stables, the Clydesdale letting off an irritated shriek as it was interrupted from its slumber.
"Care for a ride?" asks Merida, stretching out her hand.
Fergus took the offer with no response, and soon the two were outside. They went spiraling down to their lake house, leveling off with the approaching ships. In the distance, supplied with only the light from the burning ships, they could count up to twenty ships. And if they could find that much with that little light, then who knows how big this fleet could be?
Also, what could they possibly be doing here in DunBroch? Why attack the strongest part of the DunBroch kingdom rather than one of the clans? Unless…
"Wait. If they're here and not attacking the clans, maybe…" Merida trailed off before she could finish her line, not knowing what to say. "Oh no."
"What?" Fergus asks.
Merida shook her head, clearing her mind of that thought. "No. They couldn't possibly have taken over the clans first. We would've known."
Just then, they realized that the firing has stopped on both sides. Neither side was attacking, probably in fear that they would get decimated by the other. Neither side has lost much. While one side lost nothing except for some people's favorite patch of grass, the other side has lost two ships. But, judging by the number of ships Merida and Fergus spotted out there, two lost ships was close to nothing.
The two sides were at a temporary ceasefire at the moment as Hiccup came soaring back to the castle on Toothless. Merida and Fergus rode back up, Fergus giving out an order to ready the ships.
Just then, a straight line of projectiles came flying their way, setting off the alarm. Hiccup landed near Merida, in the castle, leaving Angus in the stables.
"Need a ride?" says Hiccup.
Merida, without speaking, mounted Toothless behind Hiccup. As she locked into place, Toothless took off, although not too rough for Merida to handle.
"I can't make any promises, but I'll try not to take it too extreme," says Hiccup in an insecure tone. Merida raised an eyebrow, knowing that he definitely wouldn't be taking it gently. Not when an entire civilization is on the line.
They swooped down toward the ships, watching as another line of catapults let loose their projectiles. Holding her bow, Merida took aim at one of the catapults, searching for an opening to shoot at. Meanwhile, Toothless took out one of them with a quick shot before pulling back up, hidden by the night sky. He's not called a Night Fury for nothing.
Still, Merida couldn't find any openings, any targets to shoot at. Everything was either too strong to withstand an arrow or too secluded in a spot impossible to get with a bow and arrow.
Toothless fired straight down, easily taking out one of the catapults, while Hiccup sprayed the explosive gas onto a number of ships. It wasn't much, but setting fire to a wooden ship would definitely get something done. Delay the attackers, at the very least.
Just in the nick of time, Hiccup capped Inferno, stopping the flow of gas onto the ships right before seeing a spark somewhere on the ship. He quickly pulled up, the explosion missing just missing them.
Another shot, and Toothless took out another catapult, the launcher going down in pieces. Night Furies. They never show themselves, and they never miss… at least when put up against the enemy.
It was pretty much the same cycle the whole way through. Fire, pull up, set a gas trap, and fire again. Rinse and repeat until some activity told them otherwise. It continued until the sun broke over the horizon, everyone attempting to find them getting lost in the process. But at the break of dawn, with the world lighting up, it would become easy to spot them.
Once it was bright enough to see everything, Merida found about fifteen ships pulling away from the kingdom.
Figuring that they were retreating, Hiccup quickly landed near the castle, looking down as they continued to sail away.