Rapunzel hummed to herself as she got dressed the following morning. After she had went back to sleep last night, she didn't have any more nightmares, so she still had gotten a fair amount of rest. Meanwhile, Merida remained in her nightgown and made her way down to the castle floor for breakfast with the others. Ever since the four of them had taken up residence in Merida's home, they had spent a lot of time together. When the girls arrived at the dining table, Hiccup and her father were talking, her brothers were arguing, and her mother was working on some letters from the kingdom. However, they did not see Jack around the large oak table. At first they presumed he was just late and proceeded to join the others for the morning meal. Soon, though, Rapunzel had finished breakfast and Merida and Hiccup were finishing their drinks in a chugging contest with her dad. Hiccup won, by the way. The three of them gathered in the back of the dining hall as Merida's family trickled out the door.
"Where's Jack?" Hiccup asked curiously. They hadn't seen him even in the halls today.
Rapunzel held her own small hand and suggested, "Maybe we should see if he's still asleep?" Merida shrugged and Hiccup just followed the ladies upstairs towards Jack's bedroom. Rapunzel rapped on the door so lightly it was like the pitter-patter of scurrying mice. Slowly they turned the handle and went inside.
The walls were painted dazzlingly with the pattern of a wintery-forest, like the one from Burgess, his home town, while black stained pine made up the floor. His small bed sat in the far corner by a window that overlooked the nearby woodlands. The room was around ten degrees colder than the rest of the castle, but only because the cold always followed Jack. They saw him sitting in the window sill with the glass pane pushed out to let in a breeze. His blue hood was pulled up over his white hair and he had his knees tucked near his chest. Rapunzel spoke first. "Jack, you missed breakfast…" she said nervously.
He did not turn around to her but said quietly, "Not hungry." Hiccup walked over to the window and put his hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Is everything okay?" he asked. Merida stood behind him, her face scrunched up with concern while Hiccup's eye narrowed with interest.
Jack finally turned his head to them, causing his hood to slip off his head, and replied with a half smile, "Yeah, yeah, sorry. Just have a lot on my mind. That's all. You guys wanna go out to see Jamie today?" He tried to change the subject.
Merida inquired, ignoring his offer, "Is this about last night?" Jack's smile faded and he sighed.
"I'm just jumpy, that's all. I told you guys about what Pitch did to Sandy's dreamsand last year." He turned his head away as the subject of Pitch Black came up.
Rapunzel rested her hand on his other shoulder, turned his head towards her, and assured him, "I only had a nightmare, okay? I'm fine." She smiled at him. His frosty blue eyes searched her face for uncertainty, but only found compassion. He nodded to her.
"Okay…" he then turned around to the others and pushed his staff back and forth between his hands. "So, anyways, what're we up to today?" He grinned. The others smiled. This was better. Jack wasn't paranoid anymore and seemed to look forward to today.
Merida gestured excitedly for them to follow her and they exited the castle. She led them to the stables where Angus and Maximus waited for their crazy-haired riders. Then, of course, there was Toothless. He had a fairly large covered area for him to stay in when Hiccup was at the castle. The three riders took their seats on the saddles while Jack hovered in the air, waiting for them. Merida and Angus bolted out of the stable and rushed into the forest with her calling after them. Rapunzel leaned onto Max's neck and they followed swiftly, meanwhile Toothless and Hiccup took to the sky. Jack decided to give them a thirty second head start.
Merida laughed in joy as the wind ran through her hair, tangling the frizzy curls more than ever. Rapunzel urged Max on forward and she started to gain a lead on Merida, when suddenly a roar ahead of them made the girls look up to see Hiccup waving at them before gaining first place. Merida grunted and they continued on. Jack continued counting seconds to himself, "Twenty four, twenty five, twenty six…" until time was up. He grinned as he darted into the sky, the wind carrying his feather-light body past the girls almost instantly and he sailed alongside the black Night Fury shouting at Hiccup, "Good luck, see you at the waterfall!" He laughed and corkscrewed ahead of all the racers, whooping to the sky. Rapunzel heard his shouts and insisted Maximus run faster. Soon, she started to gain a lead on Hiccup as well. Before he knew it, Jack landed at the base of the cliff's waterfall only to see a panting Maximus and a relieved Rapunzel waiting for him. She heard frost forming in the crevices of the rock and looked over at him, grinning.
"I WON!" she yelled, then giggled with pride. As she shouted, Toothless landed and Angus clopped onto the sandstone. Merida looked defeated, but that she had enjoyed herself, while Hiccup beamed from ear to ear.
Jack smiled at Rapunzel and how happy she was. Obviously, her nightmare had not affected her the way he'd been so scared it would have. He took a deep breath of liberation, feeling as though he hadn't had any since she'd woken up last evening. It truly was only a nightmare.
They all laughed at how messy Merida's hair looked, and then all stood before the waterfall. "I want to show you all something," she said, her accent uneffecting the sound of marvel in her tone. Hiccup looked confused, while Rapunzel looked excited. Jack raised and eyes brow at her and smirked as she began climbing the tall stone pillar jutting from the earth. Merida looked down at them after reaching about ten feet from the ground. "Well, what are you waiting fer? Come on!" she exclaimed and continued up.
Jack walked up the side of the rock, really more so flying than walking, while Hiccup helped Rapunzel get her footing before following her up as well. Merida helped the two up onto the flat surface while Jack sat on the crook of his staff. The three of them stood in front of him, staring before them. They were speechless. It's beautiful, Rapunzel thought to herself. The four gazed over a beautiful forest filled valley with a sparkling turquoise river snaking through it. "Thank you, Merida," Rapunzel said after a few quiet moments. The redhead smiled at her friends around her and prayed that this would never have to end.
Knock on wood.