So I just remembered that it was update day. Happy Tuesday! I think that this is the last slow chapter, focusing on the summer they become friends and the majority of the rest will move along quite quickly. It may seem rushed after this at times but I prefer not to just time skip, I find it annoying personally. Well, enough of my comments, I hope to hear yours
Note: Words w/o AN 4,589. Words with AN 4,939
=Merida=
Rapunzel ended up joining us for the rest of shopping. Which I was okay with, and I think was the smartest thing to do. She might've bought every book in the ally if she hadn't. Mum had bewitched the books to appear in her room back at the Corona home, which her parents seemed grateful for. We walked from store to store getting everything we needed as well as things we didn't, Rapunzel explained Quiddich to her parents when we stopped at the supply shop to get what we needed for tryouts and then again she had to explain that it was a spell on the chocolate frogs that made them semi-living as Jack caught his mid jump as it tried to get away. They seemed interested in absolutely everything. Which was understandable, they were muggles.
"Finally," Jack and I sighed together as we reached Weasley's Wizard Wheezes then we glared at each other. "Not you too!" We said together again only making the glaring worse. Hiccup laughed.
"What's so funny?" Rapunzel asked him.
"They have a bet, to see who has the best prank this year. Using my bullies as victims." He told her as we continued our glaring contest. "I'm supposed to be the judge with no bias."
"Well that seems a bit unfair." She commented. "Shouldn't you use someone out of the picture?" She wondered.
"I didn't make the rules." He threw his hands up and I looked at them.
"Ha!" Jack cheered next to me.
"She has a point." I said, getting the two to look over at me. "It wouldn't be fair if Hiccup is the only judge. I have known him longer, and well there's the whole you apart of Snotlout's gang thing, there's gone be some resentment some days. Can't always control it."
"What of it?" Jack wondered. "Not like I'll be hanging out with them so much this year, I got you two."
"Rapunzel what do you say to being a second judge?" I asked her, shocking the both of them. "It'd be perfect, she has no bias towards either of us. So her scores will always be fair, then there will be Hiccup's vote and that'll tell us who's he enjoyed more."
"Wow, that's a smart thing for you to come up with." Jack noted, ignoring her death glare. "Alright so what do you say?" He asked Rapunzel.
"Sounds fun." She agreed.
"Great!" He threw a fist into the air. "Now here are the rules for the pranks."
"Rules?"
"Yes." He insisted. "Both judges have to be present while the prank is taking place. And they rate it on a scale of 1-10 at the end of the year whom ever has the most points wins."
"What happens when they realize that only those who've bullied Hiccup are getting targeted?" Rapunzel asked. "And you run out of targets."
"Anyone who tries to stop us from being friends." I responded. "Or, anyone who's generally a bullier towards others."
"Wouldn't that make us the bullies?" Hiccup asked, unsure. Then he held out his hand, pinky out.
"A pinky swear?" Jack asked, but didn't protest as he added his in.
"Sounds fun!" Rapunzel added hers and I finished it
"We all promise not to prank anyone without cause," Hiccup said. "To not become the bullies and only prank those who, in turn have done harm to another person and has been witnessed by our eight eyes."
"I promise." I said first.
"I promise." Rapunzel joined happy to be included in this.
"I promise." Jack ended, smiling at the other four. "Now let's go get some pranking tools!" The two of us dashed off towards the shop and into the mess of people.
It seemed like ages later when I slipped out of the shop, content with my findings and found Hiccup on the steps holding his head as if he'd been crying and Rapunzel next to him. "I don't understand it and it's been on my mind constantly." He said and I was sure I wasn't supposed to hear this.
"It's alright," she said softly. "It's just a dream right?" She wondered.
"Well, yes, but it feel so real." He said. "It's the only thing I've dreamt of for weeks now and every time it's the same and I wake crying. I don't even know why." Now I know I shouldn't be listening to this. I wondered if I should slip back into the shop when Jack bounced out of the shop.
"Merida check this out!" He held a white fluff ball in front of me and I stared at it, it stared back.
"What-"
"Isn't it adorable?" He asked putting it on his shoulder. "They come in different colors, look." He pulled out three more. "I got one for each of us." He handed me a red one and it snuggled into my neck,
"Oh my god it's so soft!" I nuzzled it and Jack laughed. "Here Rapunzel, Hic-" He stopped in the middle of the name, looking at the boy. "You've been crying again." He said, all the excitement from seconds before gone. He went to sit on the opposite side of Hiccup and Rapunzel made room for me to join them. Jack handed Rapunzel a yellow poof ball and kept the green one in his hands. "Hiccup what's wrong?" He asked.
"I-It's nothing." Hiccup responded, and clearly it was a lie.
"Is it what was bothering you on the day I left?" He asked, then his eyes widened. "It's not me is it?" He asked horrified for the answer to be yes.
"It's not you." Hiccup reassured him. He glanced at Rapunzel for help. "I-It's just a dream... nothing else." I put a hand on his shoulder.
"Why would a dream make you this sad?" I asked him softly. He didn't look at us, just at his shaking hands on his lap and it reminded me of when he asked me to be his friend. He was nervous and unsure if anyone would accept him or what he has to say. "Hiccup you can tell us, we won't reject you." He looked up at me, "I won't reject you."
"Neither will I." Jack promised.
"Same," Rapunzel said but I'm sure she had already heard the story. He nodded slowly, looking at the three of us.
"It started the day before you left Jack." He started. "After I walked Merida to bed when we went flying. I fell asleep almost immediately." He explained the dream, how there were four glowing shapeless, or well in this case, ever changing shapes all facing each other, at arm's length and they just stood there. I could see how it would make him sad, how they never moved towards or away from each other. Just standing there, within reach but not making a move towards it. It was, lonely, sad. Might've even brought me to tears if I had dreamed it. Then he explained how he had woken earlier than normal, about the time mum's been waking me up lately, and he had been crying. So he flew with Toothless to try and calm himself.
Then again he had lost himself too deep in thought to even hear me or Jack after they returned from flying. He had been crying that time too but I don't think he realized it. It had taken us several long and honestly terrifying minutes to bring him back. Then the night Jack left, he had the same dream. Only three of them were reaching for the others, while one stayed behind, just watching. And that was lonelier still. The three connected but at arms reach, the fourth an outcast. And he's been having this same dream ever night sense, nothing else changing. Waking every morning crying and trying to understand it. I pulled him into a hug, something he currently desperately needed and I wasn't going to deny my best friend that. Rapunzel joined and Jack quickly followed.
"Don't worry," Jack told Hiccup. "We'll help you figure it out."
"Really?" Hiccup looked unsure, but Jack held out his pinky. For the second time that day, we made a promise to each other.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. More shopping, eating and watching entertained as the Rapunzel's parents tried to figure things out. Eventually Rapunzel suggested a sleep over. We debated over who's house to go to. I suggested mine considering Hiccup was already there, Hiccup agreed though he was curious as to what Rapunzel's and Jack's houses looked like. Rapunzel suggested hers then commented that Toothless, who she learned much about through Hiccup, couldn't go there. It's a muggle settlement. So that counted hers out unless Hiccup was willing to part with Toothless, he didn't see to want too.
"There's only a few days left before term starts." He had said when Jack asked him. "I can't bring him to school with me." It was a valid point, after all Toothless wasn't an owl, cat or toad. And I'm sure there's a rule against having pet dragon's at the school. We settled on one of the three magical settlements which Rapunzel happily agreed too, saying she's never been in one before. Jack suggested Berk but Hiccup shot it down almost immediately. "Rapunzel running around with all those dragons, I mean sure their tamer than they had been before, but we should stick to one dragon at a time." Again, a valid point. So that left my home, and Jacks.
"Play you for it." Jack said as Hiccup played with his puff ball. "Classic game of rock paper scissors." He explained.
"Two out of three?" I asked holding a fist out. He outstretched his. "One,"
"Two," I spoke.
"Three!" Rapunzel popped out and we chose our shapes.
"Yes!" Jack cheered at his victory, scissors beats paper.
"Ha!" I said at the second round beating his rock with paper.
"Alright," Hiccup said, "One, two, three!" There was a moment of silence. Then Hiccup and Rapunzel laughed. "Draw!" He called as two rocks were out. "One, Two. Three!"
"Ha!" I jumped up, victorious. "My house it is!" It was declared, but I don't think that Jack minded, the parents agreed to let us have the sleep over, suggesting to Rapunzel's parents that she should stay with us till term starts, they could bring her to the station and meet up wit the parents if they wished.
"And so," Jack proclaimed as he dumped his school bag in Hiccups room. "It is final." We all collapsed onto Hiccup's bed happy to have the last few days of freedom together.
"I'm exhausted." Hiccup announced. Curling into himself ready to take a nap. The day had been long, filled with shopping and of course visiting Jack's and Rapunzel's homes so they could gather their belonging's to bring them here. Hiccup had been giddy with excitement as he got to see the homes and literally ran us dry as he explored everything.
"You are?" I asked laughing as I turned to look at him properly. "We ran after you most of the day."
"Didn't ask you too." He mumbled, half asleep already. I laughed a bit but didn't have the energy to argue with him. I was just as tired as he was. In moments I had found myself, along with the others asleep on the bed.
A pressure on my arm woke me up, and it took me a moment to register where I was and what was holding me. Hiccup. He was sitting, balled up near the front of his bed. His hand reached out to grip mine. I shifted, trying not to disturb the other two sleeping awkwardly on the bed. "Hay," I said softly, moving to sit next to him. He rested his head against my shoulder. "It's alright." I told him, wrapping my arm around him to hold him closer. "Was it the same?" I asked, he shook his head. "What changed?"
"They were all holding hands." He responded. "I was happy, she was included." He sounded dead tired and I wondered what time it was. "But they still felt miles apart." I rubbed his shoulder affectionately.
"We'll figure it out." I told him, he nodded, relaxing into the embrace and slowly fell asleep like that. I wondered why he called the fourth thing a she. Slowly, I pressed my head against his and closed my eyes.
"Mer Mer." The voice woke me up, I was coiled in a ball at the front of the bed. It was me, Jack and Rapunzel and Jack was snickering at me.
"What?" I demanded sitting up.
"You looked so peaceful." He said, "but I had to get you up sorry." I looked around the room.
"Where's Hiccup?" I asked.
"Where else?" He asked pointing out the window. Duh, he hadn't flown Toothless at all yesterday, the dragon must be itching to fly. "So, how'd you end up over here? It's not where you fell asleep." He noted.
"Hiccup woke me sometime after we fell asleep." I responded. I explained what happened and Jack made an O with his mouth.
"That dream really bothers him." Rapunzel noted, frowning. "If it continues into the school year..." her voice drifted but I had a general idea of what she meant. Stress, depression, anxiety. They'd stretch to breaking point. Like mine do sometimes when I'm in a lesson.
"We need to figure something out, or he might end up hurting himself." I said, they both nodded.
"Maybe if we could find a way for Toothless to be let into the school." Jack offered. "He likes to fly to get things off his mind."
"But pet dragon's are still Illegal in Europe. Some country have annexed this but only ones that can control it, or have a mostly magical population like Berk." I said. "Hogwarts is in England, one of the most stuck up countries ever."
"Berk might out way them." Jack noted.
"They're all Vikings, they have stubbornness issues." I commented, repeating what Hiccup always told me.
"Are you quoting me?" Said boy asked and I turned, Hiccup stood drenched, his brown hair plastered to his face, his furr's dripping.
"How!" Jack laughed. "It's not even raining!" He laughed some more getting an annoyed glare from the soaking wet boy.
"Toothless thought I needed to cool off." He responded walking through the room. "Ladies, if you would please," he gestured towards the door and Rapunzel and I got up. Letting him change. It wasn't long before he let us back in. "So, you were quoting me?" He looked at me skeptically. "Why?" He wondered.
"We were talking about stubborn countries." I answered taking my place on the bed again, Rapunzel sat next to me and Jack was laying, taking up most of the bed. "Trying to figure out who was more stubborn, England or Berk."
"I see," He sat on the other side of Jack who was covering an eye with his hand and staring at the ceiling with one eye, then switching to the other every few minutes. "I think Berk wins there." He said honestly. "Vikings" he showed one hand. "Brit's." he showed the other weighing them.
"Wasn't there a feud between the two not too long ago?" Rapunzel asked.
"About a century ago yes, we wanted to be able to bring weapons to Hogwarts. Obviously we lost." He explained to her.
"What an odd thing to want." She mused. Hiccup shrugged and looked down at Jack as he switched eyes again.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"There's a dot." He pointed and we looked up. Sure enough there was a black dot on the ceiling. "I think it's moving but I'm not sure." With that comment we all laid back, joining his crazy, whatever he's doing. Hiccup fell asleep almost immediately. Which became a known fact to us when Jack jumped as the boy cuddled into his side, holding the younger male closer, and using his chest for a pillow. I sat up for a better view.
"Clearly he hasn't been getting enough sleep." I noted and Jack and Rapunzel just nodded as if scared to wake the boy. We stayed in silence for a while, Jack unable to move, so eventually he wrapped his arm around the older male protectively and drifted off into sleep with him. I stayed sitting up, leaning on one arm and playing with strands of Rapunzel's long golden blond hair. She occupied herself with the book Hiccup had picked out for her, reading it directly above her so she could still lay down. I wondered if it hurt her arms, but didn't dare ask in fear of waking the boys next to us. I couldn't tell how much time passed but eventually Jack was shocked awake. He shifted slightly, careful not to disturb the boy holding him and looked down at him.
"He's still asleep." He said mostly to himself, relaxing as if a nightmare had been washed away. "Just a dream..."
"What happened?" Rapunzel asked, laying her book on her chest and Jack looked at us as if he had just realized we were there.
"He was calling for me," Jack responded. "It sounded like he was hurting, and he just kept calling my name. I tried to find him I did." It was sounding like he was trying to reassure himself more than us. "There was black everywhere I couldn't see anything just hear his voice." He held his head with his free arm.
"We seem to like to have weird dreams." Rapunzel noted, happy to consider herself in the 'we.' "I'll look into dream magic when we get back to school. There might be something related to these."
"Well, books are your forte." I noted, continuing to play with her hair. I glanced at Jack, who had regained himself enough to just watch the sleeping boy that was holding him.
"Looks cute." I told him, startling him. "Makes you look like your together."
"You're twelve, how would you know anything about that?" He asked.
"Princess lessons. And books." I noted. He frowned thinking about it.
"He wouldn't see me like that." Jack decided. "He likes that Astrid girl. Not me." I couldn't tell if he was happy or disappointed.
"There's such a think as liking both genders." I noted, rolling my eyes at his stubbornness. "And he had a crush on Astrid, like, a month ago. Now not so much." He looked at me.
"Why?"
"Because he likes someone else." I told him, as if that should be the most obvious thing in the world. Jack stayed silent for a long time, then suddenly looked back at the boy.
"He's..." Hiccup sat up, interrupting Jack's comment and rubbing his eyes furiously. I stopped playing with Rapunzel's hair and looked concerned at my friend. "It's alright," Jack told him softly, ribbing the back of his arm. "Wanna tell us what happened?" He asked. Hiccup shook his head, not moving his hands from his face. Jack brought him into an embrace, holding him as if the boy's life depended on it.
"Hiccup," I asked softly. "Was it the same as last night?" I asked. He nodded into the embrace. Silence followed.
This pattern lasted every morning until we had to leave, then, as always it was followed by him leaving to fly with Toothless. When he calmed down enough he joined us again. "So, Toothless is a dragon, right?" Rapunzel asked as he guided her to the garden.
"Yeah, I thought you'd want to meet him before he leaves." Hiccup smiled at her.
"He's leaving?" Jack asked confused. Hiccup looked back at the two of us, he looked tired, which he was. "I wanted another ride." He pouted a little and I laughed at him.
"I can take everyone out before Gobber comes." He said before opening the door to the garden. We walked out and Rapunzel took everything in.
"Wow," she breathed before Toothless bounded over. She squeaked with joy and ran over to him as if they'd met before. Toothless enjoyed the attention.
"He likes you," Hiccup noted going over to the. "We'll be back soon, then you can get a turn Jack." He settled into Toothless's saddle and helped Rapunzel up. After waving he launched into the air. We took a seat on benches across from each other.
"You were going to tell me about the day you met Hiccup?" I asked him, he looked nervous but nodded.
"I thought you should know, you are his best friend." He paused. "It was the first day of classes and we were in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Our houses had the class together. The Professor had given us a simple stunning spell to work on."
"I remember that." I noted.
"Hiccup and I had been partnered together and I mispronounced the spell. I accidentally cursed him." He didn't look up at me. "He was brought to the hospital wing and I hated myself. I promised him, well an unconscious him, that I'd never lift a wand to him, nor participate in Snotlouts bullying."
"But you stood in the sidelines?" She glared.
"I tried to stop it," Jack said sighing. "I didn't want to see him get beat up but they were my only friends."
"You could've been friends with Hiccup." I noted, he looked away.
"It's your turn." He told me, I sighed.
"I met Hiccup, by accidentally punching him in the face." I said and he looked at me shocked. "A ghost had frightened me so I just punched it, not knowing the boy was behind it."
"Well, that's a nice way to make yourself known." He noted.
"Yeah, I asked him if I could do anything to make it up to him and he just said he'd think about it then left." I paused. "A few weeks passed before I ran into him, and caught him as he fell out of a bathroom soaking wet."
"The Twins." Jack mumbled.
"After he was cleaned and dried, he asked me for the favor." I glanced at him. "He wanted a friend."
"That sounds like something he'd ask for." Jack said. "That's why you suddenly started hanging out with him during free times?"
"How could I say no?" She shrugged. "Everybody knew Hiccup by that point, he was an outcast just like I was. He was my first friend at school. Though I think Rapunzel and him had been friends so I wasn't his. But you've seen her, not to social unless it's something she's interested in or you drag her into the conversation." Jack nodded. There was a long pause before Toothless landed on the ground.
"That was fun," Rapunzel noted as Hiccup helped her climb down. "It reminded me of-"
"Spring." Hiccup finished and the girl nodded.
"You felt it too?"
"I've gotten into the habit of comparing all my flights to seasons. Or night and day, things like that." He said. "Merida's summer, Jack's Winter, his little sister reminds me of flying through snow." He shrugged.
"What about yourself?" She asked.
"I... haven't decided." He answered. "Haven't paid much attention to it."
"You should, next time you go by yourself." She said smiling. "Jack it's your turn!" She turned away from Hiccup and bouncing over to the benches. He got up.
"Well, that ends our conversation." He noted, waving before heading over to Hiccup and Toothless. They left as soon as he was settled. Rapunzel sat next to me.
"When did you meet Hiccup, or really started to be his friend?" I asked her. She thought about it.
"First day of classes was when I noticed him. I mean, it's hard not to notice the smallest boy in our class, but..." She drifted. Watching a butterfly float by. "Did Jack tell you about it?"
"Yeah." I nodded.
"I was the one that brought him to the Hospital Wing." She explained. "No one else would do it, so I carried him up. He's extremely light." She paused. "I think... that curse is why Hiccup's having these dreams." She said.
"A full year later?" She shook her head.
"I think the first one was that day." She responded. "He talks about his dreams as if the spirits in it are real, and I read about them somewhere. Spirits are supposed to be protectors of the mortal race, they're what give us our magical abilities. Each of us has one, but... It's just a theory but... he might have two?" She wondered, then shook her head. "When I was reading about it, it told said that there are some extremely dangerous spirits that can't be born into hosts, one's named Pitch Black, he's a spirit of nightmares and darkness. The only way he gain entrance to a host is if they're dying."
"You think that this... Pitch Black is in Hiccup?" I asked, raising her eyebrow.
"He did almost die." She responded. "His last host was defeated here in the school. Lord Voldemort. He could've been larking around the castle, waiting for a new host. Only, Hiccup's own spirit is stronger than he anticipated." She paused, as if thinking about saying something, then dismissing it. "He's extremely attune to the spiritual world, that's why he's so good at understanding everything."
"I thought it was just because his magic is nature based."
"There's that too," she nodded. "But I'm sure he senses everyone's spirits and how they react to things. He's learned to adapt to this and can use spiritual energy to befriend anything. Not that he's aware of it." She glanced at me. "I believe, he's hosting the spirit of Autumn."
"Autumn?" I repeated, raising my eyebrow.
"Yes, I would be Spring." She said. "You Summer, and Jack Winter. Which would explain how easily we're becoming friends, our spirits compliment each other."
"If what you're saying is true, then that means we were all meant to be friends?" I asked. She nodded. "Then, where does this second spirit you talked about come in?"
"That's complicated." She frowned, looking as the Dragon flew by overhead. "If it's true, and he does have two spirits in him, that being Pitch and Autumn, then we'll find out in a few days." She said. "The mark of a year."
"From when the curse was put on him..." She nodded.
"He'd be strongest on that day."
"Should we tell them?" I asked.
"I want to see if my theory is correct first." She answered. "If it is, then yes."
Okay so a little side note, I had wrote this entire story in probrably the course of two weeks so everything's already done, I just want to have space between each chapter so I collect more readers. I've been going through my reviews and I've tried to come up with some sort of response to each of them.
First to changeofheart505: You were the first to review my story and I am thankful for that and happy you enjoy this fic. =]
Second to MissSadieKane: Thank you for your review and to answer your question yes, it is Anna and Elsa from Frozen, I adored the movie and like the idea of having them mix in with my fic.
Third to SummersCrystal: I'm glad that you've enjoyed it so far.
Lastly to shadowdolls: Firstly I also enjoyed Jack remeeting with Hiccup and Merida and out of the story it's one of my favorite parts. Second I had debated with putting Hiccup in a different house but after much thought about all of his traits, putting him in Ravenclaw was the best option, at least in my head. Third, I'm not good at sarcasm and sass but I think I've done well enough for a beginner in that area, and yes he will have his competitive moments. And lastly, as seen above, yes I have some more Hijack moments coming in the future. You'll just have to look out for them.
Well then, this completes my reviewer responses, I look forwards to more and hope you enjoy the story further.
~Butterfly Arrows