Chapter Four:

Accepting my fate of being paired with Rapunzel I reach out and help her climb out of the crater.

"Alright, let's go find some relics!" she cheers as she begins to take off.

"Hang on," I call after her. "I have to get my harpoon back first." I point to said projectile.

"Oh," Rapunzel skips back to my side and look up. "I can get that for you!" she reaches behind her and pulls out-

"A frying pan? Your weapon is a-"

She twirls the pan in her hand a few times and slams it against the ground, causing and explosion to emit from the bottom, projecting her into the air. I watch with my jaw dropped open as does a surprisingly elegant flip considering the violent nature with which she got air born, and lands on the branch. On her tippy toes. Her arms over her head like she's dancing.

"-…frying pan that explodes…"

"Yup! It's also a tazer, a circular saw, can conduct dust, and its non-stick!"

"That…is the most weirdly creative weapon I've ever seen."

"Thanks!"

She skips (yes, skips, ten feet in the air on a shaky tree branch) over where my harpoon and wire are still tangled together and plops into a cross-legged position that makes me, unwantedly, realize she's not wearing any shorts or bloomers under her skirt.

"Uh…" I turn away bright faced. Of all the things I thought I'd learn today, the fact that my partner wears hot pink and lime green striped under wear was not one I was expecting nor wanting!

"Just…" I awkwardly continue as I very closely study the forest ground. "You might have to use some kind of oil on it. The wire can get stubborn when tangled. I have some one me that I can thro-"

The harpoon lands at my feet, and Rapunzel summersaults off the branch and lands gracefully on her feet.

"Uh…" how did she do that so quickly? "…thanks?"

"No problem, now let's get going!" She skips off. I pick my harpoon off the ground and reload it into my shield as I follow after her.

"So, Hiccup right?"

"Yes."

"Where'd you come from to Beacon."

"Berk, it's a li-"

She gasps excitedly. "That's right next door to me!"

"Eh, what?"

"I come from Corona, the island right next to Berk! What are the odds?"

I scratch the back of my head, both out of thinking back to my knowledge of Corona, and slight insecurity on how to handle this girl's energy.

"I don't remember hearing about a combat school in Corona."

"Oh, there isn't one," Rapunzel shrugs.

"What? So how-"

"Taught myself!"

"Taught yourself!?"

"Yup."

"How?!"

She shrugs again. "Oh, you know. A little dance here. A little gymnastics there. A little parkour. They're not really that different from fight, you know? Picked up a couple books on weapon making and then tinkered around with what's in the house-"

"You learned how to make your weapon from a book!?"

"Yup. Told you I love to read! Also my best friend, Pascal, graduated from Haven a few years back, he's a bit older. He and I would play fight whenever my Mother wasn't around, which is a lot because she's really busy. That's how I found out what my semblance was. See, I accidently hit Pascal too hard and broke his nose, then I felt really bad, and reached out to say sorry and when I touched his face. Poof! All gone! His nose was back to normal!"

"So your semblance is healing?"

"Yup! Mother was furious when she found out. She doesn't like me doing huntsmany stuff. She didn't even let me go to school! Or help her fight Grimm. She's really over protective. That's why I couldn't make a traditional weapon or take some fighting classes in town. I've actually never been in town either. Like I said, she's protective. And-you don't talk much do you?"

How can I when you don't stop long enough for me to get a word in?

"So…how'd you convince your mom to let you in?"

"Oh! Ha! Well…" Rapunzel rocks back and forth on her heals. "I didn't."

"Then who signed the papers for-"

"Pascal. Please don't tell anyone! I can't go home now, mother would kill me! And she'd never let me out of the house! She'd probably send me to a nunnery or something like that, or worse! Just please-"

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

Rapunzel sighs loudly in relief. "Thank you so much! You're a really understanding fella!"

"Let's just say you're not the only one here with an overprotective parent."

"Oh. Gotcha. Well your secret is safe with me too!"

If only you knew.

Rapunzel keeps on jabbering as we keep walking through the woods. I tune in every now and then, but mostly just let her blabber on and on and on, while I keep an eye out for anything that looks like a temple, relic, or anything else important.

Such as a Grimm attack.

Actually, things are pretty quiet, besides Rapunzel fifth? Sixtieth? Seven-hundredth story?

That is until from out of the trees we hear a loud, hissing sound. I look up to see a giant Death Stalker Racing out from the trees, giant claws about as long as my body clicking loudly.

"Look out, I shout as I push Rapunzel out of the way and dive after her.

The Grimm crashes to the ground right wear we were previously standing. It's only then I realize that there's someone riding, or was riding and is now falling off of, it's head.

It's Astrid. Only now instead of her hair being a light, glistening blond, it's a bright, sunshine yellow, and appears to be on fire. Her eyes are no longer blue, but red. She lets out a fierce battle cry as she swing her axe into one of it's arms, shattering the claw all together, causing the creature to cry out in pain.

"Look out!" a voice calls. I turn and see a well built boy with brown hair and a goatee clinging to the Death Stalker's tail. He promptly lets go, letting himself fall, firing a shot gun repeatedly at the back of the Grimm's head. The Grimm roars. The boy changes his shotgun into a short sword and stabs it directly into one of the beast's eye, before kicking his feet to swing behind the beast's head.

That'll be enough to do serious damage, but not kill, I think to myself as I notice the Death stalker bring his stinger forward, ready to impale the guy. I engage my semblance, concentrate on him, and with a wave of my hand, change his trajectory from, rather than going around behind its head, to over it. This, in turn, causes his sword to slice a clean cut just behind its eye-sockets.

The boy falls flat on his back next to it. As soon as he hits the ground, Astrid jumps up, finishing the cut with her axe, cutting the creatures head completely off. Death Stalker dead she lets out a huge sigh of relief, smirking in pride at a job well down, and storing her axe away.

"Who pushed me?" her partner asks as he jolts into a sitting position.

"I did," I call as Rapunzel and I race towards them to make sure they're okay.

He points to me, to the place I was standing earlier, to the dead and dissolving Death Stalker.

"How?"

"Telekinesis. It's my semblance," I answer as I give him my hand to help him up.

"Well, thank you, my good man, but I had it covered," he stands confidently.

"As if, you were about the be crushed," Astrid scolds as she steps closer, her eyes and hair returning to their normal state.

"Please, Flynn Rider has fought fiercer beasts than-"

"You forgot to take into account the Death Stalker's flexible tail. It's important that you keep moving and not ground yourself in one place so it doesn't have a chance to impale you."

"Well, that's one way to do it, but-"

"Furthermore, you didn't consider that your sword is not long enough to deal a death blow in one stab. If it hadn't been for these two, you would have been killed."

"Your concern is heart-warming, Astrid dear, but I assure you I was perfectly fine."

He pats me on the shoulder. "Appreciate the help, anyway, my good man."

"You're welcome?"

"That was so cool!" Rapunzel cheers as she jumps up and down, dancing around Astrid and her partner.

"Well, thank you Blondie. And how are you this fine day. Name's Flynn Ri-"

"Nope," Astrid grabs Flynn by the collar of his shirt and throws him on the ground, away from Rapunzel. "No time for your flirtatious nonsense. We have a mission to complete. There is strength in numbers, so it would be best if you two-" she points at me and Rapunzel with her axe, which is very intimidating, and maybe a bit alluring? No. That makes no sense. Yet I fell myself growing hotter as she boldly continues. "-accompany us the rest of the way to the temple and back."

"Uh-huh," I nod.

"Okay!" Rapunzel cheers.

"Since my semblance enables me to take hits with minimal damage, I suggest I go fir-"

"To the temple!" Rapunzel cheers and she takes off. Astrid watches her go with an annoyed glare, before turning to me, an eyebrow arched questioningly.

"Sorry, I have no control," I mutter as I follow after Rapunzel with a shrug. Astrid storms in front of me, chasing Rapunzel down so she can step in front of her and take the lead. Flynn saunters along in the back, humming merrily to himself.