Sad news everyone: I told myself I'd finish this chapter and then take a break for a couple of weeks. I am a graduate student and have a lot of papers to write and finish up. And of course, homework comes first. But I promise I will get back to my writing as soon as it's all done, I will not forget you guys. I just want to say thanks again for all the great reviews, I absolutely love them. Wish me luck and see you soon. Stay patient!
The Search
Toothless landed at the base of the mountain, looking tired. He collapsed and heaved breaths.
"You did good, buddy, awesome job!" Hiccup told him, getting off. He came over and scratched his ears.
Merida hopped off and looked around, "Rapunzel?" she called.
"Jack?" Hiccup called as well.
They looked at one another nervously and continued calling for them. Toothless started sniffing and then went towards a pile of rocks and started trying to dig.
"Toothless, enough, we have to find them." Hiccup said.
Toothless got agitated and continued trying to dig.
Hiccup tried dragging him away while Merida kept calling for Rapunzel.
Everyone stopped suddenly when they heard a muffled sound.
They looked towards the pile of rocks and Toothless wiggled his tail.
"Rapunzel?" Merida called, going towards the rocks, "Jack?"
"We're in here!" Jack yelled through the rocks.
"Jack? Is that you?" Hiccup yelled, trying to move some rocks.
"Rapunzel and I are stuck in here." He called.
"Punzie, can you hear me?" Merida yelled, helping Hiccup with the rocks.
"I'm stuck!" Rapunzel yelled.
"Rapunzel's hair is caught; we're trying to get her loose." Jack explained
Merida looked at an anxious Toothless and suggested using him.
"If he does that might make the whole thing cave in worse and if they're stuck…" Hiccup said, and then sighed. He looked sadly at the pile of rocks and called, "Jack…we can't get you out."
"This is a tunnel." Jack told him through the rocks, "It might have another side."
"Jack that could take forever." Hiccup said.
"We can't just stay here pushing boulders that won't move." Jack said, "I'll get Rapunzel free and then we'll just start walking.
"No!" Merida called, "We'll get you out, we'll try."
"It's okay, Meri, we'll figure something out." Rapunzel called.
"Okay." Hiccup said, taking a breath, "We'll split up. Merida and I will go around and try to find an opening." He said, "Jack, you and Rapunzel will just go till you find another way out."
"Be careful!" Merida called.
"We will!" Jack said.
Hiccup and Merida backed from the rocks and suddenly heard loud noises behind them. They had a feeling the Ruffian's were headed this way.
"I think that's our cue." Hiccup said, getting on Toothless.
"Punzie, we'll get out on the other side. I promise!" Merida called, getting on Toothless.
With that, they both took off.
…..
Rapunzel sang her song to give them some light and both managed to finally push the boulder off of her hair.
They were breathless and Rapunzel collapsed on the ground for a minute.
Jack helped her up and they both decided to just start walking. Rapunzel kept her hair glowing but after nearly five times of singing, she was sounding exhausted and annoyed. Jack was enjoying her singing, but he was starting to wish for another song at the same time.
They walked until he had a feeling she couldn't anymore. She was literally dragging her feet and her eyes were getting droopy.
"We should rest." He suggested.
She opened her eyes wider and shook her head, holding it high, "No, we have to get to the other side." She said indignantly.
"It'll be okay, we need to rest." He told her, "Come on." He grabbed her hand and led her to a pile of rocks. Her hair started going dull again and both were once again enshrouded in darkness.
He heard her sigh and he had a feeling she might fall asleep. He decided to let her. She wasn't a spirit like him and couldn't keep up with his pace. He felt her head against his shoulder and he smiled. She'd fallen asleep finally. He sat back against the wall and rested himself. He wondered if there was an opening on the other side and if they'd make it out. He knew she had to be freezing. Not only was she with him, they were stuck in a dark, dank tunnel.
All he could hear was trickling water echoing in the darkness. He wondered what else might be in this cave and decided not to think about it. Taking a cue from Rapunzel, he closed his eyes for a moment.
…..
It was already dark and both Merida and Hiccup were exhausted. They'd flown around as far as they could, looking for some kind of opening. They got to the other side and tried walking and feeling the rocks, but there was still nothing.
"We should rest." Hiccup said.
"No! My sister is in there, we have to help them!" Merida said and continued walking.
"Merida, stop." Hiccup said, grabbing her hand, "We're no good to them if we're weak."
She looked at him and then nodded sadly.
Hiccup took off Toothless' saddle and then sat by him. Merida came over, looking tired.
"I bet they're still walking. Or even resting." Hiccup said, trying to lighten the mood.
Merida sighed and wiped her eyes.
"We'll find them, don't worry." Hiccup told her.
"I should have protected her." Merida said sadly.
"What are you talking about?" Hiccup said, "I watched you fight those jerks off. And heck, you didn't even tell that guy about Toothless or Rapunzel's hair. That's pretty brave."
"Yer not so bad yerself." Merida smiled.
Hiccup nodded modestly, "Yeah, well, where I come from it wasn't really needed."
"Well, I'm glad yer here. Cause we need yeh." She said.
He felt humbled by that. He caught her eye and smiled. They looked away and he finally relaxed into Toothless, "Say, can I ask you something?" he asked.
She nodded and shrugged.
"Do you think you'll ever go back home?"
She thought for a minute and shrugged, "I don't know if I will. But, all I know is, my fate is here, with Rapunzel and Jack…and you."
Hiccup nodded.
"Will you?"
"Will I what?" He asked.
"Go home?"
He shrugged, "Not sure if I want to yet."
"Well, then we'll stick together and see where our fates lie."
He liked that plan.
…..
Jack opened his eyes when he could have sworn he heard a whooshing sound from above them. He looked up but couldn't see anything. He nudged Rapunzel, who groaned.
"Wake up, something's up there." He told her, trying to shake her awake.
She opened her eyes weakly and then looked at him, "What is that?" she asked, looking up as well.
"Only one way to find out." Jack said.
Rapunzel sighed and finally sang her song and Jack helped her.
When her hair lit up she gasped as hundreds of bats came flying past them, above their heads.
"They're going that way; I bet there's an opening." Jack said, excitedly, grabbing her hand.
She gathered her hair up and walked quickly. She tripped into the rocks and Jack decided to just screw it and carry her. He picked her up and flew with the bats, avoiding being hit.
He saw as all the bats headed upwards and he followed. His face fell when he saw them disappear out of a tiny hole in the cave.
He found a ledge and put Rapunzel down. He flew up to the hole and looked through. He could fit his head outside but that was it. He looked around outside to see if there was any way to know where they were.
He sighed and went back to Rapunzel who was healing her bleeding feet.
"Anything?" she asked hopefully.
He shook his head sadly, "It's too dark outside. I have no clue where we are."
She sighed and rested her back against the cave wall and Jack sat next to her again.
"We'll make it out, Rapunzel." He told her.
She smiled at him and held his hand, "I've been trapped before and that never stopped you."
…
Merida looked up when she heard a strange sound. Toothless got up suddenly and jumped at all the bats coming towards them.
He was snapping at them playfully, hoping to eat one. When he caught one, Hiccup and Merida grimaced.
"That's gross buddy." Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"Where'd they come from, there's hundreds." Merida said, waving around at her hair in case one got caught in it.
Hiccup suddenly widened his eyes and smiled, looking up, "Up there! There's an opening!"
Merida smiled happily and jumped up, grabbing him, "Let's go, we havta find it!"
Hiccup quickly put on Toothless' saddle and hopped on. Merida got on behind him and held tight as they flew towards all the bats. Toothless was avoiding them and even snapping at them.
"Okay, Toothless, you just ate one, don't be a pig." Hiccup said, rubbing his neck.
"There!" Merida pointed when she saw the opening on the mountain. Hiccup landed Toothless off to the side of the hold on a ledge and both he and Merida got off carefully. They were very high up. Both waited for all the bats to stop flying through. Once it got calm again Merida walked forward.
"Be careful." Hiccup told her.
"I told yeh I've climbed me fair share of mountains." Merida smiled and carefully made her way to the hole in the mountain, "Auch, too small." She muttered.
"See if you can hear them." Hiccup said to her, he was looking through his pack to find some kind of tool to make the hole big enough to crawl through.
"Rapunzel? Jack?" Merida called.
"Merida?"
"Rapunzel!" Merida cried happily, "Where are yeh?"
"Down here!"
Merida tried to see in the darkness and nearly did a jig when she saw Rapunzel's hair lighting up her and Jack.
"We'll get you out." Merida told them.
"The opening is too small to fit through." Jack said.
"Here." Hiccup said. Merida looked over and smiled as he held some kind of pick axe. He nodded and threw it to her. She caught it and began hammering at the wall carefully.
Her hands were bleeding by the time she managed to make the hole bigger, but she kept digging.
"There!" she said, completely out of breath.
"Here, let me help." Hiccup said, holding out his hand. She grabbed it and let him help her back to the ledge.
"You okay?" he asked, staring at her hands.
She smiled, "Never better."
He took the pick axe and put it away and they both waited. Sure enough, Rapunzel climbed through carefully.
"Whoa!" she said nervously, "Jack, it's a little high up."
"I got ya." He said behind her.
"Come here little sister." Merida said, holding out her hand. Rapunzel looked over and smiled, taking her hand.
"You know I'm not little Meri." She laughed.
"Still old enough to beat yeh at archery." Merida commented.
Hiccup helped her and both got Rapunzel onto the ledge while Jack flew out. He smiled when he saw them. Rapunzel and Merida hugged quickly and then got onto Toothless with Hiccup.
All four landed at the bottom of the mountain.
Merida hopped off and danced a little jig, holding her sister and laughing with her.
Jack patted Hiccup on the back, "Thanks buddy."
Hiccup smiled and shrugged, "Thank Toothless."
Toothless was very excited and nearly threw Hiccup off his back to lick and nuzzle Rapunzel.
Once everyone was done rejoicing, all four of them collapsed under the trees smiling happily.
"Some adventure." Jack said.
"And it's not even over yet." Rapunzel laughed.
"Were you two okay out here by yourselves?" Jack asked Merida and Hiccup.
"Hiccup and Toothless were valiant heroes." Merida said proudly.
"You kidding? Merida took out that hole in the cave by herself." Hiccup said.
"Jack saved me from those thugs." Rapunzel said.
"Bloody braggarts, all of 'em." Merida scowled.
"Rapunzel's song is stuck in my head." Jack commented.
"I think Toothless is coughing up another bat." Hiccup said.
They all heard a hacking sound nearby and grimaced.
"Nice one Toothless." Jack rolled his eyes.
Rapunzel and Merida laughed, holding hands.
"I wonder where we are." Rapunzel voiced.
Jack sat up, "I can look." He quickly took off above the trees and disappeared from view.
"Were you and Jack okay in the cave?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel.
Rapunzel smiled, blushing a little, "It was so dark. But Jack and I are here and alive."
"Good thing too." Merida nodded, "Or I'd have blown the bloody forest down."
Hiccup laughed.
Jack suddenly came back looking excited, "You guys will never guess what I found!"
"Food?" Hiccup asked.
"Weapons?" Merida smiled.
"Ruffians?" Rapunzel asked nervously.
Jack rolled his eyes, "No! I found a castle due north of here."
They all gasped.
"So you know what that means?" he smiled.
"Food!" Hiccup smiled.
"Weapons!" Merida cheered.
"Morons." Jack groaned to himself, rolling his eyes again.
"Answers!" Rapunzel finally said.
….
