I Should Have Known
"Talking"
'Talking in Thought'
"YELLING"
'YELLING IN THOUGHT'
*Flashback*
Quote about Distrust
What loneliness is more lonely than distrust?...by George Eliot, Middlemarch
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or How to Train Your Dragon because they're all belong to DreamWorks.
Pain in her head is all that she feels right now, body hurt when she moves, and opening her eyes are becoming hard to open.
Although, she ignored those protests for she wants to know where she is or what had happened before she blacked out? She forces her eyes to open to clear away that wall of darkness and find her answers when she does.
After much force, she finally opens her eyes as her green iris blinked several times till her sight has adjusted, and she sees is a black ceiling. That's has confused her she thought she opened her eyes; she can feel her eyes flutter opened so why is she seeing more blackness. Is she still unconscious even when her eyes are wide open? No, that isn't right.
She brings her hand right to her face to confirm she is wide awake, and to her relief, she can see her hand but a little vague. So, then she in the place of complete dark but the big question is…how did she get here?
Then a flash of remembrance that appeared before her green eyes goes wide, the one Nightmare had dragged her into a black quick sand and she was engulfed into the abyss and fell into unconsciousness.
It caused her to choke and she sit up way too fast for her liking that her head going to split into two, she pressed her head on each side as she hisses in pain. After moment pass the pain subsided leaving only numbing hurt but it is safe to say that she can stand up now.
She takes it easy to stand up and once she's on full height she can now see where she is. But all she sees is pitch black everywhere as if she is blind.
She takes one step at a time in slow pace to be careful not tumble over something and hope she might find something in this place of black, and her silent prayer has been answered when she hears a swooshing sound coming from ahead. The wind! Where there is the wind then there is a way out of here.
She sprints into full gear as she follows the one path to exit, then to her relief she sees an open passageway to freedom as she commands her feet to speed it up with a small smile. There is nothing can stop her now.
But all her hope of leaving this place has quickly shattered from the moment she stepped in rather than stepped out and found herself in another place, a place that sent dread and apprehension crawl right down her spine after a horrifying sight.
She had entered what appeared to be a dark and spooky palace, but unlike any dark and spooky palace she had seen but this one is scary beyond all reason.
This place is as huge with countless cages from above acting as chandeliers, there are so many bridges and escalators and each of them has a different but bizarre angle like up is down, down is up, upside down, to make it short this place is like a mad house.
Everything is pitching black here, not a single light beam that can shine through in this dark palace and the quietness in here is far too…well, quiet. It reeks of negative energy; she can feel it seep through her bones, but there is something else, something entirely different like this negative energy she's feeling is not made of fear or fright, in a matter of fact, she feels from the palace is sorrow.
This sorrow is strong and it breaks her heart but she wonders what has caused this? However, the thought about sorrow has been fled away when she heard an echo of frightful roar and flash of blue from far ahead. Hiccup is NOT alarmed by that roar instead her expression is hit with realization because she knows that roar and only one creature can make that roar and that flash of blue light.
"TOOTHLESS!" She waited as she held her breath and silently praying for a reply, and to her joy, it growls/roar back to her.
"TOOTHLESS!" she exclaimed in pure joy as she runs to where her lost friend is.
She didn't let this scary place hinder her when she finally found her friend after he was taken from her, she calls out to him again to pinpoint his location and her Toothless reply back with a roar and quickly follow his distress.
Not a moment too soon she found herself in a place what appears to be a dungeon but this isn't any usual dungeon she had seen like for example the cages are on the ceiling, just dangling there like chandeliers and all of them are empty and dreadfully cold too.
She snapped her head in surprise when she heard Toothless's roar again and this time it's close, she follows where the roar should be as she keeps her head up to find him till she found him at last.
Toothless is looking down at her with the happiest look on his face that would make anyone fall in awe, and Hiccup couldn't be any happier and relived to see him fine and well.
"Toothless! Hold on I'll get you down in a jiffy." She closes her eyes and frown in concentration and then her body start to glow light blue hue, Toothless suddenly feel energy is flowing inside of him as he feels his powers are returning and it feels amazing after being Pitch's prisoner for long.
Once Toothless's powers are full he blasts the cage's door with his lightning bolt causing the door to be blown to bits, Toothless glide down till he lands in front of Hiccup as she engulfs him in bone-crushing hug as she fears for him to disappear, and Toothless return the hug that he too misses her impressively.
A moment later she released him but still has her grip on his head and they stare into each other eyes making sure to each other that they will never leave their side again.
"Let's get out of here, Toothless." She said and Toothless purr in total agreement to finally to leave this cold place.
"Aw, leaving so soon." A slick voice had triggered their hearts to jump, Hiccup took hold of Toothless's neck as the Night Fury growl viciously as he knew who that voice belong to, and it is the one who captured him and imprisoned him and took him away from Hiccup.
Hiccup is awfully petrified now and she has a very good reason too, for as long she remembered since the night she created Toothless he has an uncannily great sense of hearing. Which it never fails him and yet it didn't sense him which he's confused for the second time. The first time it happened it was the night he was been taken, he was on guard and out of nowhere long thick strings of black sands lashed on his limbs and secured his wings so he won't fly off, and also secured his mouth from alerting his Hiccup.
It made him mad at himself for allowing that evil Spirit to discover him and now his dearest friend is entangled with that dark creature, this monster wanted his Hiccup for something that won't be good, he will not allow him to get near her as he bare his deadly teeth as he snarls savagely and make himself large by opening his wings and arc his back like an angry cat if he dares to come close, he will tear him apart.
Hiccup stared fearfully at tall figure came from the ground in wisp of shadows, he looks like a gentleman with his back straight and his hands on his back, his face void of any sign of expression but his yellow eyes that seem to hold her in her place has a glint of immoral wickedness that promise to plague nothing but fear in hearts of pure, Hiccup can hear her heart is thumping painfully in her chest by his looks. But then Hiccup sees something else behind those yellow orbs something she had learned over the years of confinement, in his eyes they look…lost, lost its way?
"You should know better that is rude to stare!" she was startled when the tall dark man spoke elegantly, but his elegance cannot defy his coldness.
She gulped as Toothless growl to back off from his friend or he will turn him into dust, but Pitch did not heed the Dragon's intimidation, however, his eyes remained locked on the girl that he had been the desire to have her.
He couldn't take his eyes off of her for a mere moment, he laughs at the fools who described it of her as some destructible-loving summoner who call upon her deadly creatures to spread calamity everywhere, but he never the one who believe in idiotic rumors. However, he does believe in her powers for its indisputably powerful, having her by his side will benefit his victory to trample the Guardians, and most of all she will be his.
She is perfect in every way, perfect just for him, for the King of Nightmare deserves her as his Queen. Her powers and her creatures will empower his rule over all mortals and immortals alike, with her by his side no one will dare to confront him. She will be the key to his victory and the key to the Guardian's demise, chiefly to Jack Frost who he's the cause and reminder of his humiliation and failure. But he will have his final triumph laugh once he had the pleasure to slowly and very painfully kill Jack in the most malicious way, fitting for the end of Jack Frost.
At the end of it all, his greatest reward he will ever receive will Hiccup Tale as he corrupts her turning her into a Nightmare Queen.
Pitch cannot for this part to happen.
Hiccup didn't like the way he's looking at her and Toothless share the same thought as his growl become louder and more vicious as he wrapped his tail around Hiccup, safeguarding her from him.
"Why the scared face? I assure you that I'm not here to harm you, I promise." His tune is soothing concealing his dark intention, but Toothless knows better than to trust him since he was the one who imprisoned him, to begin with.
Hiccup gulped and gulped again before she can finally utter a word to the Nightmare King.
"Should I know what do you want with me? Or in a case from me?" she looks at him straight in his eyes, putting her brave face.
"Hmm! Will you be shocked if I answer I want nothing with you or from you." His answer was not what she had expected, and she is indeed shocked.
"I guess…okay, next question, why you captured Toothless?" she asked as both of her hands clenched strongly.
"Pardon, Toothless?"
"My Dragon! Why you captured my Dragon?" she said a little loud demanding his answer and no tricks, Pitch withheld his chuckle at her cute display of toughness she is doing. He then answers to her question right away.
"Well, to talk to you!" then, the second time to hear an unexpected answer from him as she did not hide away her stunned face, even Toothless is stunned as well.
"…What?"
"You have to excuse my…drastic advance, but it's the only way to get your attention without…scaring you off." After he stated it Hiccup can only look at him in utter disbelief, this is startling and shockingly unreasonable.
"Let me get this straight. You dragon-napped Toothless, then you imprisoned him, and then you send those black-sand-horse-thingies after me all because you wanted to have a nice conversation with me!…did I miss something here!?" she panted after her little episode that made Pitch look at her with amusement.
"Again, I apologize for these inconvenient matters but I had to do what I must be done. The first time I sent my Stallions to bring you here to me…that is, of course, they showed up and interfered."
"You mean when Jack and Mr. Aster saved me? Yeah, I don't see that as an interference." She stated sarcastically at the King of Nightmares. Anyone would think she's totally nuts to talk to him like that, but Pitch only heightens his amusement.
"You might find it hard to believe, but my reason to bring you here was to warn you!" Okay, now she knows he's crazy, even Toothless think he's crazy.
"What are you talking about? Warn me from what?" she probed with incredulity on her face and in her eyes, whatever he's going to say next will most likely be one big white, I mean, black lie.
"Not from what, but from whom!" Now her suspicion grew big with her eye narrowed.
"Okay, from whom then?" However, she may have thought she is prepared for whatever the Nightmare King is going to say from his gray lips, but she was so wrong.
"The ones you should be most worried are the Guardians!" Hiccup's heart skipped a beat and her throat jammed from gasping. Her stunning shock quickly dissolves and turns it into fiery anger as if he had enraged a fearsome Dragon.
"You've got to be kidding me! That's like the lamest lie you've ever come up with. You actually believe that I would buy it, that's rather sad on your part, don't you think?" her words are like fire that leaves you burned and never goes away like a scar.
Pitch must admit the girl has a fire that can't be easily quenched. Like her eyes, the yellow around her pupil seem to sharpen like saber when she glared right through his soul, or her outline started to glow bright red like the color of blood with her face glowered with the ferocity that equal with Toothless's ferocity. It gives Pitch such a chilling excitement and amusement crawling right down his spine, this girl, this powerful, strong, fierce, and stunning Spirit is perfect to be his Queen who she can stand by his side for all eternity and rule all with his fear and her beasts. He could just vision it.
And he will have her as his last gratifying glory once he rules over all, but right now, she needs to know the whole truth about the Guardian's schemes.
"Hm, your defense for the Guardians is unruly…and understandable. After all, they've treated you with kindness and generosity you never received in all your life. But you mustn't be fooled by their acts, especially Jack Frost!"
"Jack? Act?"
"Yes, they wanted your trust, they wanted your help, they wanted your power to get rid of me, but at what price? To make you a Guardian, to finally have what you wanted the most in the whole cosmos…to fill an empty space in your heart." She doesn't like this, not one bit. Her heart won't stop hammering her in her chest like it's ready to burst, even if she keeps her façade nervousness is overwhelming her making her slightly twitch. Pitch can see she is starting to lose her composer, so he presses on.
"The Guardians have no means to care about you, but to use you to get what they want. Can't you see it? They are just…" Hiccup quickly cut him off by muttering weakly.
"Stop it!"
"What?" He mockingly asked.
"I said stop it!" Loudly, she replied.
"I'm not gonna hear any more of your tall tales if you still think for one second that you can manipulate me then you…"
"What are you afraid of, my dear?" she was cut off by Pitch as she look up in surprise, but Pitch wasn't there anymore but she can feel him nearby because Toothless is growling and his body is rigid tensed, looking left and right to find him, and she is wrecking with nervousness.
"Let me rephrase my question, why are you afraid of a truth? Hmmm," that question echo in the cave and made her spasm hard.
"Looks like I hit the right mark! You knew from my point of view that I am right or," he then suddenly appeared out of the wall behind Hiccup and Toothless, in which scared them to their wits.
"Should you know better than to trust a stranger? After you've been hiding from the world for eons while you are playing and skipping with your little friends to your heart's content." He describes with his back facing them.
"You were happy with the way things are. No judgment, no more listening to their deceitful words, and most of all no more the look of fear looking intently at you. You've lived a serene life." Then, Pitch sigh, then he turns around to face them, and Hiccup's face morphed into complete surprise when she saw Pitch's expression has changed into pity.
"You must understand why I'm telling you this," he said with a sad voice.
"The Guardians are no different from the others you've met, including Jack Frost." When he spoke his name, it causes Hiccup to look up with most heart-breaking expression, as Pitch continues.
"They don't care about you; they have the only means to use you against me. Don't you see? You are a weapon as you are deadly."
Why can't he stop talking? Hiccup's ears are bleeding as if like they're getting pierced by a knife. It's untrue, what he said is untrue. When Pitch saw her expression and reaction he grew mad and begins to raise his voice.
"Why do you insist on resisting my words? YOU'VE protecting you from BEING HURT, you made sure that NO ONE will ever deceive you ever again." Pitch tune is louder and harsher by the minute as if he's scolding his child.
Hiccup is having trouble breathing, even if Toothless is with her trying to best of his abilities to comfort her, wishing Toothless he can talk so he can tell her everything is alright, but Hiccup appears to grow restless and timorous with every shake.
Has she really let herself to be weak? Did she actually been fooled? And has Jack also fooled her as well? No, he is so kind to her, and he didn't cringe of her power but easily fascinated with a bright smile. When she is with him she felt…safe, but at the same time she felt exposed because Jack can see right through her, understood her, and wanted it to be her friend.
Pitch is wrong.
"You are wrong." Her first reply is a lowly and bitingly to Pitch, look up, and stare straight at his yellow eyes as she adds.
"You are wrong, they do care about me. Jack care about me, and he is my friend." She stood still, waiting, and waiting for Pitch to say anything, but as she waits Pitch stood there with silence and has no scowl or sneer on his face. On his face is filled with melancholy.
"Oh, my dear, how you are deluded." He shakes his head with his shoulder slumped and head bend down.
"Jack is cold as he's been described to be, Jack volunteered to North to achieve your trust; he pretends to care about you. He pretends to be your friend. You are, to him, a mission." He states it about with utter disgust spitting out of his mouth.
Pitch found himself gazing at a frighten Hiccup, but then, why is he feeling discomfort when she made that scared look on her expression? Or what is this pain that is hammering him from the inside? He shakes his head violently to get rid of these pointless questions, and he must focus on the task at hand.
He recovers his composer and clearing his throat, and spoke again and this time he spoke to her tenderly.
"If you still don't believe me, then I will show you!"
Hiccup looked up at Pitch with perplexity. Show her how? Then, she soon receives her answer when Pitch walks away from her about five paces away from, and then he stopped. He outspreads his one arm with his fingers are pointing down, and his face scrunched in concentration. Then, a black sand starts to grow out from the floor, and continue on growing like a tree. It then starts to make a shape of a circle outline and leaving a big gap in the center.
The circle outline has appeared to be a frame with two pointy spikes adorned creepily on each upper corner, it's supported by a pole that sprouted from the ground, and in the center of the circle is, what appears to be, a mirror.
Hiccup and Toothless don't know what make, till Pitch spoke again.
"This is no ordinary mirror." He said as he circles around while touching the frame as if he is caressing a beautiful woman so gently.
"This mirror is a magic reflection of days past; it'll show the forgotten and the secreted." He clarified it simply.
Hiccup looks at the mirror with slight interest but mostly, anxious. Why Pitch is showing this mirror to her? Toothless is growling when he sense his friend's distress, he doesn't like this thing in front of him it feels wrong, he needs to get Hiccup out of here. He talks to her by emitting snort and purr noises to leave here now, but Hiccup wasn't listening all she do now is looking at the mirror, and then at Pitch with uncertainty but the King of Nightmare saw within her pretty eyes are a desire to know of what the mirror will reveal to her. He smirked in triumph on the inside. Hiccup licked her dry lips before she said.
"So this mirror…can show me anything?" Toothless look at her with shock that she still talking to this Spirit, but Hiccup suddenly has some doubts in everything that happens all in one day making her frustrated with confusion and qualms in both parties. Pitch replies.
"It only shows the past, never the now or the future. Step close to the mirror till you see your reflection and then you ask the mirror." Pitch instructed to Hiccup on how the mirror and Hiccup look at him with her eyebrow up.
"Yeah! So I can ask like this. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the prettiest of them all?" the usual sarcastic humor of Hiccup is here to lighten in the damp, cold dark atmosphere. But, Pitch didn't laugh or look amused, and she flinches when he looks so dead serious. She should probably stay quiet and should begin asking this mirror.
She looks at the mirror again with doubts, curiosity, fear, and temptation to know like she's having an inner battle in her head, each emotions clashing at each other to dominate the other. But, doubts and fear are losing to temptation and curiosity, or perhaps the past before she met the Guardians have made her re-think.
She remembers many spirits avoiding like she is an illness. All but one who she thoughts a friend, but it ended in deception and betrayal. Because of him she almost annihilates the city if she hadn't stopped her creature. That deceived friend had used her for the means to inflict hurt on them, and on that day it had stabbed her with hundred knives in her heart.
She had cried brokenheartedly through the night with Toothless never left or rest until his dear friend stops crying. And she fears she will not withstand if she asks the mirror.
She looks in the mirror one more time, and then she made up her mind. She must know and know full well she will get hurt, again.
"Mirror, what was the Guardian's true intention?" Two seconds later, a black smoke in glass mirror begins to appear in the middle and covering the glass mirror, like a shade. Hiccup took a step back as she watches the black smoke has covered the mirror, no longer can see her own reflection. Then, the smoke begins to clear away from the middle and a blurry image start to appear and it fit the size of the mirror. The image is starting to get clearer by the second until the image is now better to be seen and Hiccup saw all four elder Guardians are talking.
"So…what now?" Why is Tooth looking sad and sound disappointed?
"First, we must stop Pitch's plot, that's important." North looks so grim.
"…And Hiccup, what's going to happen to her?" Hiccup didn't hold in her gasp when Tooth said her name.
"We have no choice but to do drastic measures," drastic measures? She doesn't like the sound of that. It sends her the shivers.
"But, we can't beat Pitch without her!" Tooth resorted and Hiccup replies with a frown. The way she spoke of her as if she's made like a tool.
"We'll be in danger when she's around or worse, putting the ankle biters in harm's way, we can't take that risk."
"North, it needs to be done before it gets out of hands," his tone is dead serious as sharp as a knife, North turn to gaze at his furry friend blankly before he changes his blank expression to seriousness.
"You're right, friend! But this conversation that happens has never happened and as for Hiccup…we need her to stop Pitch first and right after foiling Pitch's plan, we…" North hated this, using her as a tool to stop Pitch but what choice does he have.
"And after she beats Pitch, we will use Magic Abstraction to remove her powers…for good."
The past scene has ended when the smoke covered the mirror and the smoke fade away.
Nothing but cold silent envelope in the dark, but Toothless shatters the silence with a growl of worry when he saw his precious friend is completely immobile and in total shock.
Hiccup feels nothing, numb, and broken. It is the same thing that happened to her a long time ago and it's happening again. The black betrayal and cold dishonesty have clawed its way back to her like a spider crawling to its prey. Pupils dilated and her sweats are drenched on her body and they are as cold as ice.
Cold as ice…Cold as Jack.
Jack!?
It all came crashing down on her as she horrendously gasps. Jack and his grin, their conversation, their time together has all been a lie. He was pretending to be her friend. He was faking his smile; he was faking everything he did with her.
Hiccup's heart had torn a thunder. It hurts so much that she gripped where her heart is, and fell on her knees as she tries to suck in some air.
Toothless let out a startled yelp and he's circling around Hiccup growling to her, he tries nudging her and grunting to her to get up but she won't respond to him and it scared him.
How could she let this happen to her…again!? How could she let them fool her this way? How could he do this to her?! For once, she truly really believed that, maybe, Jack Frost could be different from the others. But, she was so wrong and the pain has become way worse than before.
Pitch who have watched the disheartening scenario with his brow knitted together and not grinning in accomplishment. He doesn't know why but seeing her looking vulnerable, helpless, and on verge of crying it…hurts him to see her like this.
Seeing her looking hurt it made him feel like he wants…like he wants to comfort her as he tells her that everything will be all right.
Then, Pitch was appalled that he actually considering it. As quickly as it came to his mind he shook that repugnant thought.
What was he thinking? No, he wasn't thinking right. This never happens before since when he became immortal, these…things that bubbled inside of him are becoming quite annoying and hindering his plan. He needs to stay focus if he wants his plan to work.
No, his plan will work. He will finally make everyone pay for what they did to him, and not just those accursed Guardians. He will make certain that Man in the Moon will pay the ultimate price for what he did to him so long ago.
He puts on a façade of concern and he crouches down as he puts his hands on her shoulders, causing her to flinch and twist her head to look who touched her. It was Pitch looking at her with concern flashing in his eyes. No, it could be a fake just like everyone else. She quickly pushes him and got her feet to stand and backs away from him and Toothless reacted as well by putting on protective/fighting stance in front of the black man and protect Hiccup from behind.
Pitch remain calm and stay quiet for a few moment to let her calm down, he looked at her and see the panic and turmoil in her green eyes, wide and scared. And the annoying things come back again bubbling inside him and it's stronger than before and he can't push it away, this time.
But, he can still keep his expression of composure together then, he calmly sooth with his words to comfort the frightened girl as he looked at her with sympathy.
"I am terribly sorry that you have to see this. But, it is the only way I can show you what they truly are." Said Pitch as Hiccup begin to calm down just a bit but still weary of the black man. Pitch watched her for a moment as he gives her time to calm down. Once, he sees her rapid breathing has begun to slow down and she's looking at him and he took it as a sign to go on.
"I had to show you because…I have been through the same situation as you." In instant, the weary expression on her face has melted away and in its place is a look of bewilderment because of his confession, even Toothless look at him with surprise.
Pitch remains where he is and his face turns melancholy and this time, it's a real thing.
You may all not believe this, but Pitch NEVER wanted to be what he is now, as a Boogeyman. He NEVER wanted power and him certainly NEVER asked to be reborn as a monster.
He NEVER asked the Man in Moon to erase his past and leaving him wondering in the world with a pointless mind and the dark of loneliness.
Just thinking of his rebirth, the Man in Moon, and those blasted Guardians made his stomach turn, his blood boiling, and he has many reasons to make them pay for what they did to him.
Pitch stood up fast and with a sneer, he hisses like an angry snake.
"You need to get away from them as far away as possible. You cannot trust them, do not let their kind appearances fool you because, in the end," Then, Pitch's sneer amplified to the dark extent and that look alone could kill.
"They'll stab you in the back!" He muttered in spite but all true to his words.
Hiccup could not help but gasp when she saw the look in his eyes. So much loathing, deep hatred, but most of all, the pain he endured. As she stares Pitch's face begin to soften then turn to perplexity, she guessed that he never intended to break out like that but she never, for the life of her that she could find in someone, someone that reminded Hiccup, someone, she knew.
And that someone is herself.
Then, all of a sudden, a big hole just open up from the ground between Pitch, Hiccup, and Toothless in which they were startled. But, what came out of the hole took Hiccup and Toothless by surprise, a bunny just came out of the hold a very big bunny name Aster with two boomerangs in his paws and cocky smirk to go with it.
"Hello, mate." He said and then throw his trusty boomerangs at Pitch who he easily avoided by dodging and when those annoying things come back he dodges them, again. He formed a black scythe made out of his black sand and swung his mighty scythe at Aster but Aster has fast reflexes that as soon as he caught his trusty boomerang he blocks Pitch's attack halting him in his place.
Pitch snarl as he tries to push Aster down to overpower him and Aster is doing the same but failing as Pitch pushes Aster till he's on one knee. But Pitch isn't happy to see the overgrown rat struggling under pressure of his scythe, in fact, Pitch is concerned and that when he finally took notice of the smirk on Bunnymund's face, and then it struck Pitch like lightening.
He wasn't struggling or putting up with a fight. He was distracting Pitch.
"Hiccup, hold on!" That's Jack and Pitch turn around in time to see Jack swoop in and grab Hiccup around her waist.
"NO!"
Hiccup don't know how or what is going on, but her feet are no longer touching the ground and look down to see Pitch is getting smaller.
She gasped and listening to her instinct that she wrapped her arms around to whomever and her turns her head to see who swoop her off her feet, and to her surprise, it's Jack Frost.
"Miss me?" he said coyly with a playful smirk to Hiccup, and the red-haired girl is too stunned to say, the least.
Jack doesn't know how to explain this but he finds her face is kinda cute like that, and then an ear-splitting roar has made Jack's insides to shake due and his blue eyes got wider. He turns his head around and screams when his eyes have met a very mean and angry looking Dragon with sharp claws to tear and teeth to bite, and its flying toward Jack and Hiccup.
"Toothless!" Jack choke and sputter when he heard Hic uttered the name of the Dragon the name he recognizes, too well.
"That's your Dragon?! That's Toothless?!" Jack has to double take at the sight of the Dragon while trying to outrun the beast.
"Yes, that's my Dragon, my friend, and why do you sound so surprised?" Her little innocent question did not help Jack, at all. In fact, he looked at her as if she had grown a second head.
"His name is Toothless!? I have imagined him something small, green and cute, doing that tongue thing, like having a pet Iguana. Not a horse-sized Iguana with claws and he has teeth, TEETH, Hiccup! And you call him TOOTHLESS?" Jack is showing his panic as he made a twist and turn to lose Toothless who he still on his tail but Toothless won't give up not when he got his best friend in his arm.
Bunnymund is keeping Pitch busy with his cool and pretty amazing Ninja fighting skills. Pitch is growing tired of this game as he keeps glancing on Hiccup holding so tight around Jack. Seeing has his arms around Hiccup made him unspeakably cross. Because of this he summoned his black steeds to attack Jack. Bunnymund jumped into action into stopping those horses from reaching Jack, with kick, punch, and throwing his boomerang he wiped a new record number of beating those weakling wannabes, but even though, they are others manages to bypass Aster as the sand horses are darting toward Jack and Hiccup and they are coming in fast.
But, those black sand horses never reached Jack because Tooth has shot herself like a bullet taking out the horses, one at the time. Sandy is here as well striking with his two golden sand whip and the horses' black sands have shed to golden light, returning back to its original form.
Jack yelled out his big "YEAH" but his cheer went away when he saw Toothless avoiding the raging battle and it's coming toward Jack again.
"Oh c'mon!" He grunted tiredly and makes a run for it again.
"Jack!" It was North who was calling, Jack and Hiccup look up to find North on his sled slicing the demon horses with his twin blades. Once he finishes with last one of the black sand horse he dives his hand to his pocket and pulls out a snow globe.
"We need to, as you kids say, tail high-up out of here." The big man of Christmas exclaimed with a wide grin. Jack manages to face palm as he groans.
"It's high-tail out of here."
"That's too," North replied as if this okay too
North is muttering a word of destination to the snow globe and throws the magical snow globe into air, it explodes and the portal has open. Pitch saw what's happening and his face twist into a snarl.
"NO! STOP THEM!" He yelled out his order as his black steeds follow their Master's order as they ignore Tooth and Sandy and they are stampeding toward Jack whose holding the person the Master's desires.
Jack saw them coming, he could blast them with his ice but he can't when he has Hiccup in his arms. Toothless's loud roar interrupts his train of thought as the black Dragon with his eyes to attend to rip his arms off is still chasing him. Then a light bulb popped out on top of his head as a brilliant idea he just comes up, he smirked as he about to wipe those stupid grain donkeys without doing a snitch. He stopped and whirled around to face Toothless and it got Hiccup to look at him like he has lost his mind.
"What are you doing!?" But Jack ignored and he did something that made Hiccup drop her jaw all the way down from what Jack had said.
"Hey, you silly bag of clinkers you're nothing but a squashed cigarette butt. Kissing you would be like licking an ashtray. Also, you could use some wing falsies and implants for those tiny teeth!" Jack smirked in triumph when he saw Toothless scrunched in purest of fury that he clenched his front paws, and Toothless begin to gather his deadly lightning from the pit of his stomach and opened his mouth to blast him to kingdom come. And that's exactly what Jack wanted him to do.
Toothless released his blast toward Jack and Jack moved out of the way as the orb of lightening is hurling toward the surprised Black Sand Stallion and they got blown to smithereens and Jack whooped victoriously.
"Jack, we should go now!" North bellowed from below. As much as Jack wants to have a little fun here he needs to get Hiccup away from Pitch. But first, he needs to let out a signal.
"Okay, Sandy you know what to do!" The Sandman heard him as he gives him a nod; he first whipped the upcoming stallion and the stallion's black sand start to shed into the pure bright golden sand, changing to its original form in a cartoonish-like pony. Sandy ride on his pony and the cute golden pony reared on his hind legs and let out his neighing battle cry and charge toward Pitch.
Aster and Tooth looked up and saw Sandy is coming this way that's the signal they've been waiting for as they moved out of the way. Pitch looks confused when Tooth and Aster left in the middle of their battle but then his eyes has amplified when he saw Sandy is hurling this way with a sand ball and its size of a beach ball, Pitch starts to back away for whatever Sandy is going to do to him but Sandy had thrown the sand ball at Pitch and Pitch had his pitch black scythe haul up above his head and he brought it down and cut the ball in half, but it did not serve well in his favor because the sand ball exploded into a stream of a beautiful golden sand and it surround Pitch.
Why does this situation look very familiar? He tries to cut the stream to escape but the stream attacked him and again but he blocked it and then a stream begin to attack in every direction while Pitch keeps on blocking and attacking.
Okay, now that looks familiar he did the same thing on Sandy years ago. Sandy watched and smirked in triumph, it sure feels good just by enjoying Pitch is getting frustrated that all of his attacks are blocked.
Revenge is sweet.
That should hold him while they escape, Sandy make his way to the magical portal followed by Aster and Tooth. North on his red sleigh went to the portal first, Jack holding Hiccup swooped in next with Toothless hot on his tail, and lastly Aster, Tooth, and then Sandy. They all successfully escaped from the clutches of Pitch.
Pitch had ceased his assaults when the Guardians escaped through the portal; he is still standing right in middle of the sand ring and he is not frustrated but he is unamused.
"Well, if I didn't know any better I believe the Guardians have grown more…ludicrous." Said Pitch and he flicked his finger and Sandy's golden sand ring have turned into pitch black sand, and it is now under his control.
Then his unamused expression has turned into a smirk that shows ill-will and evil that everything is going well, just like he planned it to happen.
"Soon her powers and she…will be mine." He hissed his dark words like a poisonous snake for he had launched his poison into her and she'll be by his side, willingly.
Somewhere in the forest, everything looks peaceful and nothing out of ordinary that's until a magical portal appeared out of the blue and the portal spits out the Guardians plus a Hiccup and a Dragon.
Everyone made it out okay as they all landed safely on the ground except for Bunnymund who dislike magical portal ever so much that his landing is not so graceful and caused him to land on his face…with dirt in his mouth.
Aster is spitting the dirt out of his mouth and gagging the awful taste in his mouth, he even tries to wipes the dirt on his tongue with his paws when his long ear heard a sound and he looks down to see it was a wild rabbit looking at Aster strangely.
The tiny brown rabbit hadn't stopped staring at the big bunny before him; he probably finds it strange to find who like him but three times bigger than his original size made him stare at Aster and twitching his nose and he made Aster twitch his nose too, when Aster realizes he'd been staring at the rabbit for long and twitched his nose he scowled at the rabbit.
"What are ya looking at, Buster?" He gave a rabbit a dirty look and the brown rabbit flinches and flee.
Back there, Jack helped Hiccup to stand up and then he grasped her shoulders with a look of worry in his blue eyes.
"Hey, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Hiccup didn't answer to him right away, she only looking at him and made a small nod as her face show nothing but discomfort on the inside. Jack is, however, think that her uneasiness because of Pitch, meeting him for the first time since she never been outside of her own world and she never interact with any other Spirits for long time. She probably got scared and Jack knows the perfect solution to cure the fear away.
Jack is conjuring his magic of ice and snow and with the skill of his hands he is forming into a wide arrangement of furry snowy critters hopping around Hiccup follows by sparkling snowflakes that tickles the skin. Hiccup only react a little as she watches the snow-made animals prancing around her but it did not bring comfort or smile. All she can think of what Pitch said about Jack and the words he said are repeating inside her head.
"Jack is cold as he's been described to be, Jack volunteered to North to achieve your trust; he pretends to care about you. He pretends to be your friend. You are, to him, a mission."
Those words are like a thousand knives have pierced to her heart and it hurts still, her mind is jumbling painfully in her head like a giant mess, a giant mess that she put herself in. Jack notices immediately that Hiccup remains quiet and she looked very troubled. He calls her name and tries to reach out to her when something big and black pushed him away from Hiccup.
Jack caught himself from falling and looking very annoyed by that Dragon that Hiccup loves so much. Toothless growls and snarls at Jack to keep himself away from Hiccup if he doesn't get ripped apart, and then, suddenly, Toothless's snarling and growling has ceased when Hiccup brushed her hand against his scale calming him down like the cooling water reducing the heat of the iron.
Jack is still annoyed but he is glad to see that Hiccup is feeling comfortable around her Dragon, now these two have been reunited. Jack feel an amazing sense of accomplishment today as he smiles at her, then Hiccup caught his gaze and then she turns away and Jack feels hurt.
Why is she looking at him like he did something wrong to her? What did Pitch do to her?
"Jack!" The loud Russian accent from North has caused Jack to look up with slight surprise and huffed when North placed his big hand on Jack's shoulder, strongly.
"We did it, da, Jack? Pitch was easy as making a hundred toys!"
"You mean too easy? I expected Pitch to be little more…Well, more." Aster commented on the Pitch's preparation. He thought he learned his past mistakes and be more prepared than before but he didn't, which can only mean one thing, Pitch is up to something bad.
"I don't like this not one tiny bit. Look, it's great we saved the lass but Pitch made it too easy for a rescue." Hiccup heard Aster and she flinched as she remembered Pitch's word again.
"They don't care about you." Her eyes flash to anger and soon after, a thin red line appear on her body, dimly, and the Guardians are unnoticed by her reaction.
Sandy spoke with his sands and the ringing, he molded his sand in shape of Aster and Pitch fighting and sandy Pitch loses to Aster easily, and then Sandy frowned and nodded toward Aster's direction agreeing to him that Pitch didn't put much of a fight and that spell bad news.
"Well, even if Pitch is up to something, at least, Hiccup is safe that's all that matters," Toothiana spoke like how mother cares for her child and happy to see her child safe, but no, Hiccup can hear lies, all lies that the thin red line around her body started to thicken.
"They have the only means to use you against me. Don't you see? You are a weapon as you are deadly."
The more she listens to Pitch in her head the more clear it becomes. She was such a fool to let herself think that there is someone that actually cared about her, that they actually care about her. She swallowed her tears because she will not allow them to run free from her eyes or allowing them to see it. The thin red line begins to glow hot like fire and it thickens even worse that her green eyes turn into blood red of pure rage. Toothless noticed his friend is getting angrier by the minute that he no idea what to do, he spent many years with her and he never seen her state like this and it worries him.
"Then, we go back to Workshop." Said North as he continues.
"Standing here will do no good. We go back and make a plan to counter Pitch, that's all we can do now." They all agreed to the plan as they ready to head back to the Workshop, which means, riding on the sleigh again, Aster groan and mumbled the ground is better.
Jack's thoughts were on Hiccup for most parts and he only listens to the last part. He was so worried about her strange behavior made his heart thump, painfully, and when she turned away it hurts even worse. He convinced himself that she was, probably, shaken up when she met Pitch and she'll get better once they head to Workshop.
He walks toward Hiccup and to find Toothless is concealing her from him, he tries to take a look if Hiccup is alright but Toothless's whole body concealed her completely. It's probably nothing so he walks around Toothless till he saw Hiccup and he smiles to see her.
"Hey, you're ready to go?" He placed his hand on her shoulder to get any reaction from her. Hiccup's back is facing Jack and no red line on her body because she diminished it. Again, Hiccup didn't answer to him nor she reacted to his touch and Jack's worry increased.
"Hey, what's wrong? You haven't said a word since we got here…" Again, no words from her and Jack tries again.
"Hic, say something." He finally got her reaction but not what he had anticipated. Because she twirled around and shoved Jack to the ground and Jack is stunned that he couldn't say and he is stunned even more when he saw the look of pure fury swirling in her green eyes.
Hurt and confused is what Jack is feeling right now and the red line came back again redder than ever.
"Jack!?" Toothiana yelled and all the Guardians came to Jack's aid and pick him up and they all look at her, confusedly. Jack doesn't get it what's going on with her and it worries him still.
"Hic, why are you…"
"I know…" Her voice is heavy and hoarse try to hold in her scream.
"Know what?"
"I know what you are planning to do to me." Jack didn't get what she means by but the Guardians' reactions are aghast that caught Jack's attention. He looked at them as if they saw a ghost.
'What's going on?' Jack doesn't like the look on their faces nor does Hiccup's face and he get a feeling that something will end very bad.
"I take your shocked silence that, yes, I know, I know about your plans and I know about your little spell that will remove my powers FOR GOOD!" She yelled because she can't hold it in, too angry to care. But, she is hurt, terribly. Like she's been pushed to a hard concrete floor and being pressed down and not has the strength to get back up, the feeling that she swore to never feel it again and yet the feeling has returned to full force and she can feel herself cracking under heavy pressure.
Jack is, however, stunned and well, stunned. He could not believe what he's hearing but that's impossible the Guardians are here to help her, not to hurt her. And, what spell is she talking about? How come he's the only one who doesn't know about this? But he has to do something before things get out of hand and, by looking at Hiccup, the red outline seem to glow brighter than normal and it looks like she's going to summon something really big and really powerful.
"Hic, just calm down," Jack got up and got between the Guardians and Hiccup as he held out his each hand to both pf them.
"I don't know what happened when you were with Pitch but whatever he said to you was a lie, North, and the others would never hurt you!" Jack defended the Guardians and he didn't notice from behind him that they all flinch and stricken with guilt because they didn't tell Jack. However, Hiccup is nowhere calm, in fact, she is beyond furious.
"Would you do me a favor and stop acting like you don't know anything. You're as involved as them, I…I almost believed that you were my friend and you had me for a fool." She was loud with fury but soften with the hurt of betrayal, and Jack has no idea what's going on and he is shocked that she said that.
"Hic, what are you talking about?" He soothes his voice to calm the poor girl who she still rages with red lines.
"I am your friend and I wanna help you and I would never ever hurt you in any way and neither are the Guardians, right, guys." Jack turned to look at the Guardians and expect them to say something to defend themselves from a false accusation and he, then, realized North and the others haven't uttered a word since and also he was confused to see them they are looking concerned and beaten and they aren't looking at Jack because it'll hurt them even more if they look into his eyes, and Jack is not liking what he's seeing.
"Guys, what's wrong?...Say something!" Jack exclaimed to all of them and none of them said a thing or look at him except for North who raised his head up and look at Jack in the eyes, he opens his mouth but then he closes them he did it three times till he found his words.
"Jack, there is 'um' we 'um' there's something you need to know about…about," before North can say anything Hiccup interrupted him.
"About me, right?" Hiccup's tone is harsh and cold and causes everyone to look at her and she looked very much crossed.
"It is always about me! Me! A deadly monster is still roaming free causing havoc to wherever she went. That's why you want me, you want me to finish Pitch and then you'll finish me off when it's all done!" Every word she spoke is like knives are throwing at them hitting them critically.
"Hic, what are you…?"
"Tell me now that was your plan, right? After Pitch's gone you're going to remove my powers, is that right?!"
"Hic, why are you still…"
"TELL ME THE TRUTH RIGHT NOW!" Her loud booming howl echoed through the woods and the red outline have burst and summoned one of her creatures and it is unlike anything they've seen.
It is a massive red Dragon, most likely, bigger than Toothless towers over Jack and the Guardians and looking down on them with big angry yellow beady eyes. The Dragon's scale is like is mad of fire judging by its color, he has spikes that goes from his neck to the end of his tail, mean-looking horns that curves slightly outwards on the edge, and sharp teeth that can chop your heads off.
The Guardians stepped back and drew their weapons and pointing at the red Dragon and Jack is only one who didn't point his staff at the Dragon. He doesn't want to hurt it because it's Hiccup's friends and if freeze him it'll break Hiccup's heart, but why is the situation keep getting worse? The thought of Pitch's fault swept out of his mind because all he can think about his friends, his friends would never hurt Hiccup…would not? But, they know something that causes Hiccup to go ire and they haven't told Jack anything, in which, it made Jack confused, hurt, upset, and worried. And then, he hears a growl that causes him to look up and see the Dragon ready to breathe fire. Jack won't use his ice powers but he did have the Dragon and the Guardians spreading his arms wide acting himself as a shield.
Then the red Dragon stood on his hind legs and roar at the Guardians that dare to harm his little friend; he channeled the fire from his chest ready to roast them alive. The Guardians are yelling to Jack to raise his weapon but Jack cannot, he can't do it, he won't do it, so he stood there doing absolutely nothing as the Dragon opened his jaw to unleash his inferno.
"Hookfang! Stop!" The Dragon Hookfang did what he was told because he sensed her urgency from his little friend. Jack released his breathe since he held his breath.
The Dragon stomped his way toward his friend as he let her to caress his scale that's between his horns. Hiccup's fury has dissolved all as Hookfang vanishes in a swirl of fire. she was so tired of everything, so tired it's becoming unbearable she just want to be left alone that all she wanted why did she mixed herself in this mess? She looks at Jack with a tired and broken hearted expression before she turns to look at the Guardians seem to relax a bit since she stopped Hookfang. Right now, she wanted a truth from them.
"Tell me the truth. Are you going to use Magic Abstraction on me?" She soft spoken to them but even though her tone is soft it filled with hurt.
"Magic Abstraction? What's that?" Jack inquired because he never heard of it before but his friends seem to know it.
Sandy and Toothiana look they are going to be sick like the kind of sickness that make your stomach aches and churned. Bunnymund is scowling darkly like he's mad, but he is not mad, he is actually bothered that the girl knows the whole thing now it's like he's re-living the whole thing again, like it happened 900 years ago. North is looking very unsettled and the look in Hiccup's eyes it pains him but Timothy's words are still ringing in his head that Hiccup's dangerous, but he can't hide from her now since she knew and he makes a guess on who told her.
"Magic Abstraction is a spell a very powerful one that requires the four of us to conjure it and it can…remove the Spirit's magical powers completely and…" Hiccup watched North is having a hard time getting the words out of his mouth as if it's made by poison but she cares less about it.
"And what?" She demanded North to force him to say it. North took a breath and then let it out and then he looks straight at her.
"They are left to wonder the world powerless and forgotten." He concluded with a heavy scowl on his face.
Jack got an awful shudder after hearing the spell, it sounded so awful that such spell exist in this world. Getting your powers ripped from you it's like getting part of who you are being ripped off. But he is too concern for Hiccup and he turns to look at her and it tore his heart into two when he saw the devastated look on her face.
Hiccup stood rigid. Completely frozen like she had been casted by a freeze spell where no warmth can melt the icy frost. She, quickly, put her hands in her mouth due to a horrible shock and she is stepping back in rather wobbly as if she is no longer have support from her legs and she is feeling dizzy and sick like she wanted to vomit so bad, as she keeps stepping back till her back hit on something and it snapped her out and turned around to meet green eyes of her sweet friend Toothless. The ebony Dragon sensed her distress and quickly went by her side and he curled his tail around her feet like a protective circle, but Toothless is as shocked as his friend and not to mention appalled.
As Hiccup stares at Toothless for who knows how long till her mind came to a sudden realization. What would happen to Toothless and her creatures of she loses her powers?! It struck her with cold fear like a slash. She is dreading for what she about to ask but for Toothless's sake and the sake of her other friends she has to know. She turned around and looking straight in their eyes while she tries to ease her beating heart.
"What…What will happen to Toothless and my friends once my powers are gone?" Hiccup asked with dread nagging in the back of her mind.
North feels a crushing weight growing heavier with each passing minutes. He had hoped it would never come to this, he had wished for a better alternative than this. But the girl had committed crimes far worse and forbidden. Harming humans and harming spirits using their powers, and when Timothy spoke about her and what she did it becomes clear now. But why did it hurt when the girl look at him as if he's perpetrator.
As times goes by it becomes tense and Jack could not take much more of it and this time it's not because he's bored to death but he is worried to death for Hiccup and he is completely helpless to do anything for her. How could he call himself a friend if he can't help a friend in need?
Aster and the other Guardians are looking between North and Hiccup with worry and not making a sound or movement, and North have taking his silence for too long till he eventually raise his head up and look at her. Hiccup is still waiting for and she placed her hands on Toothless's head for security and comfort but North didn't see that her hands are shaking.
North licked his lips as he exhales the air out and spoke hoarsely as if he is ill.
"They will…They will disappear as…if they never existed in the first place."
Hiccup gasped with a shake and it tore her heart asunder. Disappear. Never existed! Toothless and all of her friends she created will be gone forever, and she'll be all alone.
That's a terrifying thing she ever heard and they are going to do that to her. She snapped her head toward Toothless and the sweet ebony Dragon is as shocked as his friend as he is looking at her with sadness with his ears drooped down.
But Jack is more than shocked he is horror-struck beyond recognition. He looked at North and the others who he comes to care and love them as a family but now, he felt betrayed. Hiccup is betrayed.
'Hiccup!' He turns around very slowly to face Hiccup as if the sudden movement could make things worse for Hiccup. However, once he turned around he was greeted by a sight that he never wanted to see on her face and he feels like he's been impaled by a knife.
Hiccup was looking at Jack with boiling rage and her green eyes darken almost changing into a black.
"You knew, didn't you!?" She hissed and Jack just shook his head.
"No."
"YOU used ME! You LIED to me! I'm just a…weapon you need to get rid of Pitch and then you'll THREW ME AWAY. No longer needed!" Hiccup is exploding like an erupted volcano. Spitting fire and fuming hot that's consuming her very core and thus, her magic begin to appear. A dark purple outline is like nothing from before when she summoned the Griffon. And it looks awfully dangerous as she stepped toward Jack.
"I should have never trusted, I should have never agreed to your deal, I should have said no and left but…" Then, Hiccup's dark line vanishes instantly and her eyes return to bright green but they are flooded with tears.
"I thought for once, that maybe, I can have a friend I thought you were…" She snapped her mouth shut and turns away causing Jack's heart to break when she said next.
"I was wrong." Then, Hiccup walks toward Toothless and climbed on top of his back ready to leave them behind. No one made a move to stop her except for Jack after he snapped out of his shock as he flew and grabbed her wrist.
"Hic, wait!" Whatever Jack was going to say was cut off when Hiccup pulled her hand and bellowed.
"Don't EVER call me that! I don't want to ever to see you again!" Her words caused Jack to stagger back and Toothless flies off along with a precious cargo. As Hiccup flies off feeling the wind wiping away her tears but it could not heal her shattered heart as she lets out a choked sob.
Jack felt numb and in pain as Hiccup and Toothless is flying away to the sky and disappeared into the clouds and he hoped that he could see a speck of black descend back to the ground and Hiccup would smile just for him.
But they are not coming back and that come conclusion in his mind. Hiccup is gone.
Pitch was hiding behind the shadows of the trees and watched the whole spectacle with a smirk of accomplishment and sick satisfaction. His plan worked better than he imagined and now it's time to make haste now that Hiccup is alone and without the Guardians interfering.
Pitch slipped through the shadows and left without a trace.
OMG! I am so sorry, everyone. Truly I am, for letting you guys wait so long. I had this major Author Block in my head trying to come with a scenario that fit well and I hope this chapter is good. Don't worry, for those of you who have doubts that this story will have abounded it's not, it will proceed to the end. So, tune in next time on Believe is Seeing.