The Big Four: Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons

by ROTBTDLuver

When guardian Jack frost is given the mission to find the missing princess of Corona in the past, Jack befriends 3 unlikely teens who help him w/ his journey. however, as the group travels throughout the land, two villains join forces to take out the group for their own selfish reasons. reviews would be greatly appreciated. lots of Jack X Rapunzel X Eugene, a little bit of Merricup

10. Chapter 9: Floating Lanterns

Chapter 9: Floating Lanterns

A cool morning breeze awoke Jack the next day, blowing his hair out of his face. When he came to, he could feel the hard ground beneath his body, the dew covered grass soaking his ragged brown cape. Jack breathed in slowly and sighed, cracking open his blue eyes. His eyes slowly glanced around. Above him, the surrounding trees' branches swayed lightly in the breeze, their decorative, vibrant green leaves and budding purple flowers shaking with the slightest wind. Through those, he glanced up at the grey morning sky, still too early for the sun to rise.

Jack. He heard the moon call to him. He slowly glanced up at the full moon, but didn't respond. After a minute, the moon continued. Corona isn't too far from camp, take the day to get to know your new friends; you will get there tomorrow. Was all the moon said. Jack nodded and closed his eyes again, listening to the tweeting birds in the trees above. He sighed once more and slowly sat up, leaning against the adjacent tree's trunk. For a while, he listened to the nearby river, its tranquil water running down the length of it.

Eventually, the sun began to rise, lighting up the grey sky. With a wide smile, Jack rose to his feet. He climbed up the tree's trunk in an almost monkey-like way and crouched down on a branch twenty feet above the ground. He peered through the branches. The few clouds in the morning sky turned light shades of pink, yellow and orange. Rays of sunlight peered over the trees and warmed Jack's cold face. He closed his eyes for a minute, soaking up the sun. Jack continued to perch on the tree's branch, watching as the sun broke through the tree line and the grey sky turned blue.

After several content minutes, Jack leapt down from the tree, landing on the balls of his feet. He grabbed his staff from the tree where he left it the previous night and leaned against it as he glanced around the camp. He was amused to find Eugene sleeping with his head propped up on a rock, his hands in a fake-princess-sleeping position under one of his cheeks. Rapunzel slept entirely wrapped up in her blonde hair, Pascal snuggled up on her wrapped shoulder. On the other side of the camp, Hiccup and Merida slept back-to-back on the grass. Toothless laid beside Hiccup, his long tail wrapped around the pair. Merida slept with her head propped up on a pillow formed by her wild hair and her right hand wrapped around the handle of her bow, her sheath still strapped around her waist. Jack laughed lightly under his breath. Perhaps Merida had been on her own for quite a while; she must be so used to sleeping with her weapons still strapped on, since she had traveled alone.

Hiccup, on the other hand, slept on his left side, and curled up in a tight ball. Jack then noticed that the sun brought out Hiccup's freckles and the red in his brown hair. Jack shrugged, feeling like he should have noticed that before. Jack glanced around and finally found Merida's horse at the edge of the camp. Angus stood by a tree, his long reigns tied loosely in a knot around a branch. Angus' head was lowered to the ground and his large, round eyes were closed.

After an hour or two, and the sun had rose higher in the sky, Rapunzel slowly woke up to the bright sun and climbed out of her 'hair-blanket', Pascal still on her shoulder. She glanced around the camp, taking in her surroundings. She immediately remembered where she was. She saw Eugene, Hiccup and Merida, but it took her a while to find Jack. He wasn't where he had fallen asleep last night. Rapunzel stood and quietly sighed, finally seeing him. Jack sat on the shore of the river, back to the camp. Rapunzel silently approached him. As she drew close, he could see that Jack sat with his legs extended forward, knees bent and his arms were wrapped around his knees. He stared silently into the running river, his staff laid on the ground on his right.

Rapunzel placed her right hand on his left shoulder. "Hey." She spoke.

Jack started and glanced up. Rapunzel sat beside him, a teasing smile on her beautiful face. "Oh, hey. You scared me there." Rapunzel snickered.

"Sorry." She ran a hand through her long blonde hair. "How long have you been up?" Jack relaxed once more. "A couple of hours." He shrugged.

"Oh. Why'd you get up so early?" She glanced over at him.

Jack lightly sighed. "I don't even know. I just kind of…. Woke up." He shrugged again. "Eh, it's alright, it gives me time to think."

"About what?" Rapunzel wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Well, mainly how we are going to get to Corona. After yesterday, we got all turned around, but I guess we are pretty close; so we could do anything we want today and still get there tomorrow." Jack explained.

Rapunzel nodded. "Oh, okay." She smiled. After a short, silent minute, she spoke again, changing the subject. "How'd you sleep?"

Jack thought for a minute. "Alright, I guess, I tossed and turned a little bit, but that's about it."

"Ah, same here. Though, for me it's really hard getting used to sleeping on the semi-hard ground; it's no queen bed, that's for sure." She sniggered under her breath. Jack flashed a white smile; although, he wouldn't know, he hadn't slept in any kind of bed in more than 300 years.

A sound came from behind the pair and they glanced over their shoulders to find Toothless clumsily standing to his feet. The large dragon stood with his long , black forelegs stretched in front of him on the ground; while his back legs pushed upwards, raising his narrow hips, tail dragging on the ground. His bat-like wings folded at his sides as his curved black claws dug into the soft soil. This positioned reminded Jack of a stretching cat or dog.

"Good morning Toothless!" Rapunzel lightly giggled. Hearing his name, Toothless lurched up to his feet, his eyes adorably round. His split tongue flopped out the side of his gummy mouth and he contently walked over to the two, giving Rapunzel a slobbery lick up her right cheek. "Eek!" Jack sniggered. "Toothless, that's gross!" She closed her right eye, slowly whipping away the thick slobber.

"You know that doesn't wash out, right?" A voice casually spoke behind them. Rapunzel slowly turned to see Hiccup leisurely sitting by a still sleeping Merida. The morning sun brought out his green eyes as well. Rapunzel made a face; this was her only dress. It would take forever to make a new one. She finished wiping off the rest of Toothless' slobber and quietly got up, walking over to the river. She tempted to wash as much of it out as she could.

Toothless lumbered back up the river's shore and sat beside Hiccup, tongue hanging out of his gummy mouth. Jack steadily rose to his feet, grabbing his staff, and walked over to the Viking. He sat beside the boy and set his staff back on the ground. "Well, I'm sorry if we woke you up." He spoke over the quiet river.

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, I got enough sleep; besides Toothless always wakes me up early."

Jack nodded. "How late did you guys stay up last night?" He motioned to a still sleeping Merida, who's bow was now tangled in her wild red hair.

"Pretty late," Hiccup began, picking up a twig from the ground. "We got to talking quite a bit after fishing." He twisted the twig around in his hands. "'Still don't know too much about her though."

Jack nodded. "Well, that's what today is for. I guess we are closer to Corona than I thought, so we can just spend the day getting to know each other."

"Sounds good to me." Hiccup shrugged as Rapunzel walked up to them, her hair trailing behind her.

She sat on the other side of Jack. "Got most of it." She huffed.

"Good." Hiccup grinned. "You don't get out much, do you?" He noted her bare feet.

Rapunzel smirked. "No." It was silent for a minute. "It's hard to get out when you're locked in a tower."

"Oh." Hiccup lowered his gaze. "Right." However, a tap on his shoulder caught his attention. He glanced up to find Merida standing beside him.

"Mornin'." She quietly sat next to him, her wild hair bouncing.

"Morning." The trio responded simultaneously.

"How dae ye all sleep?" She crossed her legs and placed her hands in her lap.

"I slept decent for sleeping on the forest floor." Rapunzel replied.

Merida nodded. "Ye git used tae et."

"Oh! Well, I'm glad to hear that!" Rapunzel beamed. "What about you, boys?"

Jack shrugged. "I didn't sleep that much, I really don't need any sleep."

Hiccup nodded. "I'm used to very little sleep, but I slept well for those few hours."

Eugene had joined them by then, hearing their conversation. "I just woke up, and I slept well."

Hiccup glanced up at the man. "You sleep in the forest a lot, don't you?"

"When you are a thief on the run, that's all you can do." He responded.

"Good point." Hiccup shrugged.

"Whit es tae plan for taeday?" Merida asked quietly.

Jack sighed; he had explained it too much already. Hiccup took this chance to speak. "Jack figured out that we aren't far from our destination, so we can just spend the day getting to know each other; since we don't need to get there until tomorrow."

"Ok! Sounds like fun!" Rapunzel grinned.

Jack nodded. "Well, we learned quite a bit about Eugene and Rapunzel last night. Care to share anything, Merida?"

Merida sighed. "Whit dae ye want tae knou?"

"Where are you from, again?" Rapunzel asked, placing her head in her long hands.

"Dunbroch, Scotland." Merida shifted.

"Isn't that where the royal family lives?" Hiccup asked. He had always been curious about other countries and how their governments worked; after all, he was the heir chief of Berk, even though he never wanted to rule anything.

Merida hesitated. "Aye." Hiccup nodded.

"What's it like to live in the same town as the royal family of Scotland?" Eugene sat up. It was obvious from the story he told last night that he was interested in gold and nobility.

Merida gave a shy smile. "En sum ways, ets honorable, but en utters nae so much. King Fergus es eh relatively laid back guy while Queen Eleanor es very strict. Et can affect tae Kingdum."

"Oh." Hiccup and Eugene sighed simultaneously.

"What are your hobbies?" Rapunzel asked. "This can apply to everyone."

"Archery." Merida responded.

Eugene didn't have to answer, but did anyway. "Stealing."

"Painting, well, really everything." Sighed Rapunzel.

"Snow days." Jack sniggered.

Hiccup sighed. "Dragon training.

Eugene glanced at Hiccup. "Dragon training? What, you get classes on that stuff?"

Hiccup quirked an eyebrow. "Yes."

"What is you school called? How to Train Your Dragon?" Eugene joked.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "No, actually it's the Berk Dragon Training Academy."

"Oh." Eugene mumbled disappointedly.

Jack was about to speak again when a loud grumble interrupted him. The group silently turned around to find Toothless sitting on his hind legs. The black dragon glanced down at them and gave them a gummy smile, his split tongue flopping out of his mouth. Jack chuckled under his breath and the girls let out a giggle. The dragon glanced up at the river.

"Toothless, you're hungry already?" Hiccup stood up, walking over to the creature. Toothless coed in response. Hiccup muttered something under his breath. "You guys hungry?" He asked.

"Yes!" Rapunzel stood up.

Eugene shrugged. "I think everyone is."

"Not me." Jack interrupted. "I'm a spirit, I don't have to eat."

"At least come with us." Rapunzel tugged on his arm as Merida and Eugene slowly stood up.

"Alright, Punzie." Jack sighed, standing.

Rapunzel squealed. "Yay!" The corners of Jack's mouth pulled up.

Toothless dropped down to all fours and began to lumber off in the direction of the lower part of the river, where the fish were. The group slowly followed him. Eugene and Rapunzel were first behind him, lightly chatting with Jack at their heels, his staff in hand. Merida silently walked beside Hiccup. She slung her wooden bow over her head, resting it on her left shoulder and right hip. Hiccup walked quietly beside her, mainly because he didn't know what to say. However, he could sense some tension. Merida walked stiffly with her wild hair hiding her face from view. Was it something they had asked her? Was it something he asked her?

Hiccup smirked a little and reviewed their conversation at the camp in his head. After a minute, he shook his head, not finding anything. Ahead, Toothless suddenly stopped and glanced back at Hiccup, a gummy smile on his narrow face. Hiccup dismissed the dragon with a nod. Toothless' round pupils became thin lines and his teeth became bared. The dragon then practically pounced into the river, beginning his hunt for fish. Merida made a face.

"You guys know how to fish, right?" Eugene paused, glancing back at the group. Rapunzel smirked.

Merida rolled her eyes. "Lae et tae th' archer." She removed her bow from her back and drew an arrow from the quiver on her left hip.

She knocked the arrow and lightly stepped into the river, drawing back the string. Her bright, blue eyes scanned the running water before she pulled the string clear to her face and released the arrow into the river. To Rapunzel, Eugene and Jack's surprise, Merida's aim was spot on. She waded through the river and held up the arrow by its fletchings, revealing a speared Atlantic Herring. "Who wants et?"

"I'll take it." Eugene responded. Merida waded through the water, un-speared the fish and handed it to Eugene. "Ah suggest ye cuik 'at." Eugene gave her a sarcastic look. She sniggered and nocked the same arrow again. Eugene made another fire to cook the fish. Merida continued to shoot fish, catching multiple Atlantic Herrings. She did, however, catch a German Brown Trout. This she gave to Hiccup because she knew he would be more accustomed to it. Brown trout were common fish to catch in and around Scotland, especially Berk

"Haur." She handed Hiccup the trout, finally sitting down with her own Herring.

Hiccup's eyes sparked in content. It was a piece of home. "Thanks." Merida nodded. As their fish cooked, she placed her arrow back in the quiver. Toothless, now soaking wet, leapt out of the river and approached the group, his wide mouth completely occupied with perhaps a dozen fish. The girls let out a giggle as the black dragon dropped his bounty of fish on the ground and began eating.

The sun was high in the sky by the time the group had cooked and eaten their fish. The river ran at a steady pace and birds flew around them. Eugene laid on his back on the grass of the riverbank, casually asking questions. Rapunzel sat with her legs to the side near Eugen and lightly brushed her fingers through her hair. Jack sat on the edge of the river, his bare feet in the warm water. Toothless had blasted a part of the grass and slept on it, warming his scaled body. Hiccup and Merida sat leaning against the trunk of a fallen tree. Hiccup, who remembered that his sketch book was still in his fur vest, showed his drawings, most of which were of Toothless, to Merida. Merida was surprised at how well he could draw.

After a while, silence overcame the group and most of them grew bored. Eugene grew so bored that he actually fell asleep right where he was.

Merida shifted slightly and glanced around, until something caught her attention. A grin crossed her round face and she silently stood. Hiccup glanced up at her, quirking an eyebrow. she lightly set down her bow and removed the quiver from her waist. "Witch this." She spoke in a low voice before sneaking off to a tree on the river's shore. Hiccup's thick eyebrows pulled together and he stood, unsure of what was going on, or rather, what was going to happen. He shot a glance at Rapunzel, who gave him the same bewildered look. Rapunzel quietly stood up too and slowly walked towards Merida. As Hiccup walked forward, he could see a glimpse of Jack's brown cape.

However, before Rapunzel and Hiccup could even react, Merida pulled back one of the tree's drooping branches and released it on an unsuspecting Jack. The branch whacked Jack on the back only hard enough to shove him into the river. "Whoa!" Jack hollered out before falling into the water. Merida burst out laughing. Hiccup's mouth popped open. The sound of the splash awoke Eugene. Rapunzel joined in on laughing, in fact she was laughing so hard she was crying. Jack quickly resurfaced, now covered in sheets of ice. "Hey!" He glared at Merida. She continued laughing. Jack stood up, grumbling. Hiccup glanced over in time to watch a snowball collide with the side of Merida's head. Rapunzel and Hiccup quickly walked to the shore, laughing. A snowball collided with Rapunzel's left shoulder.

"Jack!" She gasped. "Oooooh, that's cold!" She shivered before jumping into the river, splashing Jack. Another snowball was sent through the air. Hiccup ducked in time to miss it. Merida leapt into the river, also splashing Jack. Rapunzel giggled and faced Hiccup, her soaked hair sticking to her face. "Join us Hiccup!" She motioned as Eugene cannonballed into the water, no longer caring.

"Um, no, I'm good, really." Hiccup took a step back.

"Aww, come oan." Merida pouted.

"No, really, I'm good." He put his hands in defense. Eugene splashed Rapunzel, who giggled in surprise. Jack straightened before removing his soaking wet cape and vest and tossing them to shore, now only in his pants and white, button-up shirt. Jack then splashed Merida, re-soaking her hair, which now hung in long, almost straight strands. Hiccup smirked.

Suddenly, something shot past him, wound around the tree and wrapped around his good ankle. "What the-?!" He glanced down in time to see Rapunzel's hair tighten around his ankle before he was pulled into the water. Hiccup struggled for a minute before he remembered how to swim again, then he burst through the surface, brushing his uneven bangs out of his eyes. "Punzie!" He gasped for air. The others chuckled. "My foot is going to rust!"

"Just dry it off good afterwards!" Rapunzel swam past Eugene and Jack, followed by her long hair.

Hiccup grumbled. "It'll rust anyways." Merida waded towards him, the water past her stomach. Hiccup shifted his weight and reached into the water. He was bent over for nearly a minute when he lost his balance and nearly fell back into the deep water. Merida caught him by the arm.

"Gotchye." She helped him stand back up.

Hiccup made a face. "Thanks. Though I do have to say, it's a floater." They glanced down to find a piece of wood in front of them. Hiccup picked it up, revealing his prosthetic foot.

"Och." Merida glanced at the metalwork.

Hiccup glanced up at her. "Sorry, but I don't want it to rust, and it's be really hard to replace, especially here."

Merida dismissed it with the wave of her hand. She was used to missing limbs, especially since her father lacked his foot. "Ets alright." She paused. "Haur." She helped him reach the river bank, where he placed the object on the grass. Rapunzel watched with a twinkle in her eye. Merida saw her expression and quirked a brow. Rapunzel shook her head, but smile crept on to her face. She could see where this was going.

Jack took the opportunity to splash Eugene right in the face, sending a few ice particles his way. Eugene shook it off and splashed both Jack and Rapunzel, beginning a massive splash fight.

The sun slowly set to the west and the group finally crawled out of the river to dry off while they watched the sun set. Eugene quickly built a fire back at the camp and they surrounded it in hopes of keeping warm. Meanwhile, Merida and Rapunzel watched as the boys took the luxury of hanging their vests on tree branches to dry. They could only huff and look at their soaking dresses and shiver beneath their long hair. They scooted closer to the fire, hoping to warm up and dry quicker. Toothless casually lumbered behind them and laid down, offering something to lean against. Eugene watched in amusement. Hiccup tightened his prosthetic around his left leg.

Jack stared up at the sky, looking at the large moon. "Any stories tonight?" He muttered, resting his head against a tree's root. "Or maybe just questions?"

Rapunzel thought silently with Pascal on her shoulder. "Not that I can think of."

"We huvnae heard much aboot ye, Jack. Teel us mair aboot yerself." Merida scooted even closer to the fire, reaching out her pale hands to warm them.

Jack sighed and sat up. "Where do I begin?" He glanced across the fire. Toothless lightly cooed. "Well, let's just say I was born in another time." He began after a minute.

Jack silently laid on his back, breathing deeply. Many hours had passed since the others had fallen asleep. The fire had died and the air became cold. Jack turned his head to the right, glancing at his sleeping friends. Once again, Eugene slept with his head propped up on a small boulder. Meanwhile Merida and Rapunzel laid back to back, Rapunzel wrapped up in her hair. Hiccup was not too far away, sleeping nearly face to face with Merida, only separated by Toothless' tail. Toothless had curled around Hiccup in an almost protective way. The large dragon silently slept with his large head rested on his forelegs.

Jack chuckled lightly and rested his head again, staring up at the brightening morning sky. "Hmm." He quietly stood up and grabbed his staff. Jack leapt into the air and flew above the trees. A smile lit up his pale face when he could see the tallest towers of Corona. They were much closer than they thought.

However, a noise below caught his attention and he flew down to the camp, landing lightly on a tree branch. Jack was taken back. Below, he watched as a large white horse stood above Eugene, covered in sweat and exhausted. Jack quirked a brow. Several drops of sweat fell on Eugene's face and he slowly woke up.

"Huh?" Eugene glanced up to find the horse. "Well, I hope you're here to apologize." Eugene tempted to fall asleep again, as if the horse was only part of his imagination. However, the horse wasn't so patient. He bit down on Eugene's boot and began to drag him away. "Aaaaagh!" Eugene yelled, waking the others. Rapunzel, still wrapped in her hair, lurched to her feet and ran after Eugene and the horse. "No, no, no, put me down! Let me go!" Eugene cried out, trying to grab something to hold on to. Rapunzel caught up and grabbed Eugene's hands. "Let. Me. Go!"

Rapunzel pulled against the horse with all her might. "Release. Him." She ordered the horse. The white horse began to shake Eugene from side to side. "Guys, a little help?" She called. Merida and Hiccup scrambled to their feet. Jack formed a snowball in his hand and threw it at the horse. The horse flinched away from the cold snowball, releasing Eugene, who was still holding on to Rapunzel for dear life. Eugene was sent flying through the air, over Rapunzel's head and collided with the ground, bringing her with him. "Oof." The horse, however, still had Eugene's boot.

The horse shook its head, dazed. Then it caught sight of Eugene and charged at him. Rapunzel pushed herself to her feet as Eugene scrambled halfway up a nearby tree's trunk. However, before the white horse reached Rapunzel, Toothless put himself between them. The massive dragon stood on his hind legs, wings open; giving him a look of size and authority. His scaled lips pulled back to bare his sharp, white teeth, wrinkling his nose. His pupils became slits and he let out a heart stopping roar. Indeed, the horse halted in his tracks, backing up several feet. With a horrified whinny, he reared on his hind legs. Rapunzel scrambled her way around Toothless to stand in front of the horse.

"Whoa!" She called out as the horse landed back down on all fours. "Hiccup, a little help?! Whoa! Easy, boy, easy!"

"Toothless, enough." Hiccup ordered. Jack leapt off of the tree branch.

Toothless lowered to all fours and folded his bat-like wings, pupils widening. The horse, however, was very disoriented and ran around in almost circles. "Settle down! Whoa, whoa! Easy, boy, easy." Rapunzel put her hands out, slowly calming down the horse. "Easy. That's it!" she smiled as the horse calmed down. Toothless lightly grumbled under his breath and walked over to Hiccup, sitting at his side. Pascal climbed up Rapunzel's hair and perched on top of her head, glaring up at the horse. The chameleon then gestured for the horse to stop. The white horse froze in place and let out a tiny whinny, confused by the small green creature. "Now sit." Rapunzel ordered, pointing to the ground. The horse assumed the position of sitting, but continued to refuse to actually sit. The horse snorted. "Sit." She ordered again. the horse dropped to the ground, sitting like a dog would.

"What?" Eugene stared at the horse in disbelief. Angus whinnied at the edge of the camp, still tied to a tree. Merida silently walked over to the massive horse and untied him.

"Easy, Laddie." She led him by the reigns to the other horse's side. Angus' head bounced as he walked and his horseshoes clicked against the ground.

"Now drop the boot." Rapunzel ordered. The horse gave her a look. "Drop it!" The horse opened his mouth and let the boot fall to the ground before clamping his mouth shut again. Rapunzel rubbed the horse's snout. "Aww, you are such a good boy! Yes you are!" The horse wagged his tail as if he were a dog. "You're all tired from chasing the bad man all over the place?" The horse nodded, sad and exhausted.

"Excuse me?" Eugene interrupted, still sitting at the tree.

Rapunzel ignored him. "Nobody appreciates you, do they?" The horse shook its head. Rapunzel hugged him around the neck. "Do they?" The horse wrapped his large head around her back and shook his head again, this time shaking her. Rapunzel gave Merida a teasing smile and Merida's eyes tightened in amusement as the corners of her mouth pulled up.

"Oh come on, he's a bad horse!" Eugene gestured to the horse, irritated. By now, Jack and Hiccup were laughing so hard they were crying. Merida had a playful smile on her face as she patted Angus' shoulder and wide back. Toothless sat on his hind legs, a gummy smile plastering his wide face.

"Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart!" Rapunzel interjected, continuing to rub the horse's face, who neighed delightedly and rubbed his large left cheek against her face. "Isn't that right?" That's when she noticed the collar; which was attached to his saddle, around his neck. The golden sun of Corona was engraved in it, and underneath it was the horse's name: "Maximus."

"You've got to be kidding me." Eugene crossed his arm and frowned. Maximus caught sight of Eugene and his head lurched forward, whacking Rapunzel in the leg. Another snowball formed in Jack's hand, just in case it was needed. Rapunzel patted the horses head up and she began to talk to Maximus again.

"Look. Today is kind of the biggest day of my life," She started. Maximus straightened as Rapunzel pulled Eugene to his feet. "And the thing is, I need you to not get him arrested." Maximus' ears pulled back and he snorted disapprovingly. "Just for twenty-four hours and then you can chase each other to your hearts' content, okay?" Eugene sighed and extended his hand, as if to shake in agreement. Maximus turned his head away defiantly. Rapunzel smirked sadly and crossed her arms behind her back. "And it's also my birthday. Just so you know." Hiccup, Merida and Jack straightened, completely forgetting it was her birthday.

Maximus reluctantly agreed, shaking his hoof with Eugene's hand. The group sighed with relief. However, a sound in the distance caught their attention. Rapunzel's eyes sparked with excitement as Hiccup, Merida and Jack steadily turned around, listening as the sound continued.

Hiccup paused. "Are those… bells?"

Jack grinned. "Yes they are."

Rapunzel broke though Maximus and Eugene's shake. When no one was looking, Maximus raised his hoof again and punched Eugene right in the gut. "Ooof!" Eugene clutched at his torso and collapsed to the ground. Maximus let out a content whinny.

"Eugene, are you alright?" Jack turned around.

"Yeeeaah….." Eugene struggled to breathe. "I will be." Jack walked over and helped him up. "Thanks." Eugene glared at Maximus, who gave him a smug look. Jack nodded, gripping his staff. Hiccup grabbed his fur vest from the tree branch and put it on. Jack glanced at his vest and cape. He despised those clothes, after all, he didn't need them to keep warm anymore and they just restricted movement.

Hiccup noticed Jack's decision to ditch his vest and cape. "You don't want them?"

Jack shook his head. "They're a nuisance anyway." Hiccup nodded. Jack noticed that Eugene already had his vest on. Merida strapped her quiver back around her waist and slung her bow across her back. Rapunzel placed Pascal on her shoulder and picked up her frying pan. Jack and Eugene rolled their eyes at the frying pan in her hand.

Merida mounted Angus as the others began walking in the direction of where the bell sounds had come from. Toothless and Maximus slowly followed them. As usual, Hiccup walked alongside Merida –and Angus-, Rapunzel walked beside Eugene and Jack led everyone towards Corona.

However, when they reached the edge of the forest, a clear problem emerged: Toothless. There was no way they could bring him into Corona, it would terrify everyone. "Hiccup, what are we going to do with Toothless?" Jack asked. They stopped. Hiccup glanced at Toothless with a smirk, if he were a horse, this would be easier; but he wasn't.

"I guess we'd have to leave him in the forest." Hiccup sighed, rubbing Toothless' face. The dragon's pupils grew adorably round and he cooed as if he were trying to play the guilt card. "But I can't just leave him here, it's not right."

Merida frowned. "Hou aboot thes. We lae 'em haur, but we come back tae check oan 'em every coople o' hoors?"

Hiccup smirked. "I suppose that would work." He paused. "Just give me a minute." Jack nodded. Rapunzel, Eugene and Jack slowly started walking. Merida stayed put and waited for Hiccup on Angus. "Hey, bud." Hiccup knelt down to face Toothless. "I can't take you into Corona. People here aren't used to dragons. So I have to leave you here." Toothless cooed sadly. "It's just for the day, but don't worry. I'm going to come back every couple of hours to check on you, okay?" Hiccup rubbed the dragon's nose and he cooed in understanding. Then, unexpectedly, the dragon licked him on the face. "Toothless!" He stood up, whipping off his face. Merida couldn't contain her laughter. "Yeah, I love you too, bud." He patted the dragon good-bye.

"Want eh ryde?" Merida gestured to Angus.

"Um, Merida, have you seen the size of your horse? I'm pretty sure my legs cant bend that wide." Hiccup's eyes widened.

"Och, ye'll be fyne." She rolled her eyes.

Hiccup made a face. "Okay…"

Merida reached down with her right hand. Hiccup took her hand and she pulled him up on to Angus' back. Merida had been right, he was fine. Perhaps Angus just looked bigger than he actually was. "Ye might want tae hang oan. 'e goes fest."

"See you soon, Toothless!" Hiccup called over his shoulder before turning around with a puzzled look. "Where am I supposed to hang on?" He asked. There was no saddle, and frankly he would feel too awkward holding on to Merida.

"Ah know whit ye're thinkin'." She glanced over her shoulder. "Jist hauld oan tae me." She gripped the reigns in her small hands.

"Um… Ok." Hiccup made a face. Merida turned to face ahead and rolled her eyes, he indeed was an awkward, shy boy.

The minute Hiccup wrapped his arms around her stomach, she yanked the reigns. "Hiyah!" Angus took off through the forest. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder to watch as Toothless sat where he had left him and he grew smaller and smaller as they rode away.

It didn't take them long to catch up with the others, they hadn't walked too far; and Angus was a fast horse. "Whoa." Merida called as they reached the group. Angus quickly slowed down to a walk. Maximus, who had followed the others, glanced up at Angus as he arrived and snorted.

"Perfect timing." Jack grinned. "We've reached the bridge." Everyone looked up as they cleared the forest.

"Wow." Hiccup breathed.

Before them was an entire island, attached to the mainland by only one large, brick bridge. The kingdom of Corona was nearly made up of townhomes and shops that covered most of the island. The townhomes and shops were made of tan-grey bricks and were formed with large, dark, wooden beams. Their roves were either made of yellowish hay or multicolored shingles. From far away, they could make out tall trees and a large, grey brick wall. Above the wall was the castle. The castle had many towers, one of them easily being over two hundred feet tall. The roofing on the castle was made up of russet shingles while the domes and spikes of the towers were close to a periwinkle blue. The brick walls of the castle were a creamy white.

Jack glanced over his shoulder, a bright smile on his face. "Happy Birthday Punzie." She flashed a smile and began walking towards the bridge, followed by Jack and Eugene, who was followed by Maximus. Hiccup lightly slid off of Angus' back and waited for Merida to dismount. Soon enough, they followed everyone else.

"This is without a doubt the largest castle I've ever seen." Hiccup glanced up at the castle, astonished.

"Ye don gae owt much, dae ye?" Merida glanced down at him, leading Angus by the reigns.

Hiccup smirked. "No, not really. The only other time I left Berk was to fight the Red Death at Dragon Island."

Rapunzel turned around to mouth 'Wow!' to the others. They only laughed at her excitement.

Merida nodded. "T'e castle at Dunbroch es much bigger, nae en height, but en size an' width." She closed her eyes, imagining the Scottish Castle. "Et even has underground tunnels." She added with a light laugh.

"How do you know that?" Her comment caught his attention.

Merida gave him a shy smile. "Ah've been en et." Hiccup's mouth popped open.

Ahead, Jack watched as Eugene approached a piece of paper nailed to the wall of the orange-ish bridge and tore it right off, crumpling it up into a ball. Maximus stood at Eugene's side, staring him down. Eugene turned to find the horse glaring at him and he instinctively shoved the piece of paper into the horse's mouth. Maximus spit the piece of paper out. However, instead of falling to the ground, covered in spit, the paper landed directly on Eugene's face. As Jack drew closer, he could see that the paper was in fact a wanted poster of Flynn Rider. Merida, Hiccup and Angus caught up with Jack and they stopped to watch the whole event, greatly amused. Before they knew it, Eugene ripped his wanted poster off his face and he began to fight with the palace horse.

A sound came from ahead and the entire group froze in place, including Eugene and Maximus, who somehow had Eugene's thigh in his mouth. Ahead, Rapunzel continued to walk ahead, paying no attention to the commotion behind her. However, Pascal sat on top of her head with an expression that could only be described as 'you better behave'.

Maximus released Eugene's right thigh and Eugene lowered his fist with a frown on his face. Eugene then elbowed Maximus in the shoulder. Maximus in return rammed that same shoulder into Eugene's side. Jack shook his head and began walking again, Hiccup, Merida and Angus on his heels. Angus' horseshoes and Hiccup's prosthetic foot clicked against the cobblestone of the bridge.

Rapunzel finally reached the white entrance of Corona, a spring in her step. She was so happy to be there that she didn't care about all the looks she got because of her hair, especially for its length but also its color. For it seemed that everyone in Corona had brown or red hair. The people varied in shapes and sizes and wore many varieties of clothing from collared button-up shirts to trench coats to skirts, knee high socks, pants, short sleeve shirts, vests and bonnets. Most women there also tied back their average length hair into buns, pony tails or braids.

However, just a few feet through the entrance, Rapunzel automatically started having problems. She suddenly found herself dodging a cart of goats, a small flock of geese, a woman carrying a bread basket, a young boy and his father, and an elderly man reading a book; only to find herself being trapped by her long hair being stepped on. She quickly began picking up her long hair form the stone ground. Eugene ran up to the entrance, scooping up the last twenty feet of her blonde hair. Rapunzel sighed, relieved. Jack gripped his staff and flew the rest of the way down the bridge and through the stone entrance to Rapunzel and Eugene's sides, followed by a galloping Maximus. Rapunzel and Eugene's arms were completely full with her long hair. Eugene looked around for a solution to it.

Meanwhile, Jack caught sight of the fountain and grinned. There sat the four fountain girls, each with their own hair style of braids. The girl on the left, Stacey, had her red hair pulled back into high, pigtailed braids. Lainey was the next girl, who still kept her hair in a single braid. The girl that sat beside her was Agnes; she wore her hair into two low braids. And finally, on the very right, was Jenny who wore her hair in five wild braids.

With a smile, Jack called their names. "Stacey, Lainey, Agnes, Jenny!" the young girls' heads shot up, wild red braids flying.

The girls' mouths popped open. "Jack!" They scrambled off the fountain and across the courtyard. Jack bent down as they ran up to him. Jenny got there first. "Jack, you come back!" She threw her arms around him.

Jack laughed. "I told you I would." All the other girls threw their arms around him too, actually knocking him over to the point where he was sitting on the ground. The sight made Jack's friends smile. After a minute, Jack glanced over his shoulder at Rapunzel, who still held her long hair in her arms. "Can I ask you guys to do me a favor?" He looked back at the girls, who nodded eagerly. "My friend here needs some help with her hair, do you think you could help her out?" The girls peered past Jack to find Rapunzel and Eugene standing there, arms full of hair. Their mouths popped open.

"Yes!" They squealed. Jack stood up. Lainey took Rapunzel's hand, causing her to drop her armfuls of hair. "Come with us!" She led Rapunzel to the fountain where no one else was and had her sit on the ground. The girls automatically pulled the length of Rapunzel's hair out and separated it into three large pieces. Lainey then went and separated a few more very small strands and set them to the side. Hiccup, Merida, Jack, Eugene, Maximus, and Angus walked over to watch as the four small girls quickly went to work on Rapunzel's hair. Merida watched in awe as the girls' quick hands braided down the length of Rapunzel's seventy-foot long hair, braiding it tightly. When they had finished braiding it, they began to layer the hair on top of itself, making it easier for Rapunzel to move around and so that the braid had a much thicker appearance.

"Stacey, can you get us an entire basket full of flowers?" Lainey asked as she continued to work with Rapunzel's hair.

"Sure thing!" Stacey ran off. Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder. Minutes later, Stacey returned with a large basket of flowers. "Here you go." Stacey set the basket beside Lainey as she began braiding the pieces of hair that had been set aside.

"Thank you." Lainey grinned. Once she was done braiding the side pieces, Lainey had Stacey help her twist the smaller braids around the larger braid. Jenny and Agnes began to place the bright, colorful flowers in Rapunzel's braids.

Behind Rapunzel and the fountain girls, Hiccup and Jack sat on a brick wall, next to Eugene; who stood, leaning against the wall with Maximus at his side. Pascal crawled on to Jack's shoulder. Eugene gave Maximus an expression that could only be described as gloating. Maximus kept both eyes on him, ears perked forward and jaw stubbornly set. Eugene for now seemed to be content with his current situation, that was until he glanced over his shoulder. He abruptly ducked behind the wall. Jack and Hiccup quirked a brow before they turned around. Pascal squeaked as they watched two armored palace guards pass by. Hiccup's eyebrows rose a little. Maximus' eyes watched every move Eugene made. Hiccup and Jack turned back around and froze, eyes widening. Merida's mouth popped open. Eugene, still worried about the guards, sighed with relief and finally glanced up, freezing as well. His mouth popped open and his eyes widened a little.

Before them, Rapunzel stood, surrounded by the fountain girls. Her hair hung all the way to her feet, braided and filled with beautiful yellow, white, purple, and pink daisies. "Oh, thank you!" Rapunzel twirled around, feeling free as she moved. The fountain girls nodded in approval. Eugene's head raised and the corners of his mouth pulled up. Or at least until Maximus leaned in and wiggled his 'eyebrows' at him. Eugene shoved the horse away.

Jack leapt off the wall and approached Rapunzel and the fountain girls. He gave Rapunzel a bright smile before he knelt down in front of jenny. The other three girls walked to her side. "Thank you so much girls."

"You're welcome, Jack!" The girls beamed, content with their work.

Bidding their goodbyes to the young girls, the large group continued on, walking around the busy streets of Corona. They walked through small shops and glanced at stands, buying an occasional object such as fruit or a souvenir. Above the crowd on the roofs, banners of purple flags with yellow suns and banners of green leaves and bright flowers hung.

Hiccup glanced past the banner to see the position of the sun. Already, a couple of hours had passed. "We should go check on Toothless." The others stopped.

"We'll be in the plaza when you get back, it's not far from here." Jack responded. The pair nodded before turning around and heading back to the forest.

"I wasn't expecting Corona to be this busy, and lively!" Hiccup spoke as they wove through the crowd.

"Aye, ets eh bigger place than ah thought." Merida responded, leading Angus through the streets. There was a silence between them for a moment.

"You don't get out much, either; do you?" Hiccup asked as they reached the white entrance.

"Whit makes ye say t'at?" Merida glanced at her, wild hair flying over her shoulder.

"Dunno." Hiccup smirked. Merida mounted Angus, extending her hand down.

Hiccup took her hand, and she pulled him up on to Angus' back. "Weel, ye're reit. Ah don git oot much. T'e furthest Ah've eva gon frae Dunbroch es Clan McGuffin."

"Oh." Hiccup responded. Merida nudged Angus' sides with her feet and the horse took off down the orange-ish bridge. Hiccup wrapped his arms around her stomach, not wanting to fall off the horse. Angus cantered across the bridge in no time, making his way towards the forest.

Merida came up with her own question this time. "Hou old are ye anywae?" She continued to steer Angus through the trees.

"Fifteen." He replied. "You?"

"Sixte'n." Merida answered. "Nae offense, but ye dornt look fifte'n."

Hiccup sighed. "Yeah, I know. I get that a lot. I always seem to look younger than I actually am, probably because im so small. As for you, to be honest, you look older than sixteen."

"Really?" Merida glanced over her shoulder. Hiccup nodded. A flash of black caught her attention and she pulled on the reigns. "Easy laddie." Angus quickly slowed to a walk. Hiccup glanced over Merida's shoulder. Merida's bright eyes scanned the forest.

"What is it?" Hiccup glanced at her.

"Ah'm nae sure." She gripped the reigns. Angus whinnied nervously. A sudden rustling in a nearby bush made the pair jump. Hiccup's eyes widened a little. "Hou fa' bac did we lave Toothless?"

"I think it was farther than this." Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed together. However a minute later, a large black head peered through the bush, easing their nervousness. "Toothless!" Hiccup scowled. He unwrapped his arms from around Merida and dismounted Angus. The dragon's pupils dilated with happiness and his ears pricked forward. Toothless gave them a gummy smile and crawled out the bush, his jet black body littered with bright, green leaves. Merida smiled and dismounted angus, swinging her leg over Angus' side. "I told you I would come back." Hiccup walked up to Toothless, who cooed.

The dragon glanced at Merida and gave her a gummy smile, his split tongue flopping out. "'Ello Toothless." She grinned, patting the creature on the nose. "Hou are ye?" Toothless harrumphed, giving her a bored look.

"Sorry, bud." Hiccup smirked. "I'd take you in there, but it would not be wise to do." Toothless sat on his back legs. His pupils shrunk in size a little and his nose repeatedly twitched as his mouth rapidly moved. He seemed to be muttering to himself. The sight made Merida giggle. Hiccup frowned, feeling the cold shoulder. The dragon grinned and sunk down to all fours. He walked over to Hiccup's side and gave the Viking a big lick across the left side of his face. "Toothless!" Hiccup stepped backward and tripped over his own prosthetic foot. Toothless continued to lick him. "You. Know. That-" Hiccup tried to push the dragon away. "Doesn't wash out."

"Toothless, git oof 'em." Merida lightly pushed the dragon. Toothless stopped and stepped away, making a snickering sound. Hiccup laid on his back, his face covered with saliva and part of his shirt soaked. Merida made a face. Hiccup wiped his face off with his sleeve.

"Just what I needed bud." He gave the dragon a look. Toothless sniggered and sat back on his hind legs with a look of satisfaction.

Merida looked up, peering through the trees. "Hiccup, we should probablae git bac tae t'e others."

Hiccup sighed and wrung out the left shoulder of his shirt. "Okay." The young Viking stood up and patted his dragon on the nose. "We'll be back in a couple hours, bud." Toothless cooed sadly. "I promise."

Merida approached Angus and mounted him, once again extending her hand down to Hiccup. Hiccup took her hand and she pulled him up before taking the reins. Hiccup wrapped his arms around Merida and once again watched Toothless until he was nothing but a speck in the background. Merida glanced over her shoulder at Hiccup, who was still looking back. "'e'll be fine." She spoke. Hiccup turned back to face her.

"I know, it's just… this is the most amount of times I've left him since before the battle of the Red Death." Hiccup muttered. Merida sighed. Her thoughts soon strayed to family. She thought of her three wild brothers, and her father. And her mother. Merida suddenly frowned and shook off the thought. She was here now, it didn't matter what she had left behind. And yet her thoughts continued to stray back to her family. She indeed had a struggle on her hands and a weight on her shoulders.

They soon exited the forest and Merida snapped back to her senses. "We must have been farther in the forest than we thought." Hiccup broke the silence.

"Aye." Merida nodded as Angus crossed the orange-ish bridge once more. There was a silence between them as they dismounted Angus at the white entrance.

The streets continued to fill with people and animals as the sun peaked at mid-day and continued to move across the sky. The shops and stands were completely packed with people and Corona's stables were filled with horses. Merida, followed by Angus, and Hiccup slowly squeezed their way through the crowds. Eventually, they made their way to the plaza. They automatically found Jack, Rapunzel, Eugene and Maximus.

Rapunzel's face lit up once she saw them. "There you guys are!"

"Yeah, sorry it took us so long; the streets are pretty crowded now." Hiccup informed them. The other three nodded in understanding. Maximus trotted up to Angus' side, whinnying a greeting. Angus whinnied back, nipping at a piece of Maximus' mane.

Rapunzel gasped. "Oh, can we go to the library now!?"

Jack chuckled, a smile pulling on his pale lips. "If you want to, sure."

"Yay!" Rapunzel leapt with joy and ran across the plaza to a set of stairs with a picture of a book hanging over them. Jack flew to her side, followed by Eugene, Merida, Hiccup and the horses. Merida tied Angus and Maximus' reins in a knot around a nearby post and followed the others up the stairs and through the front door.

"Whoa!" Rapunzel froze in place. Before the group was a large room with walls that were painted leaf green and a wood-paneled floor. The leaf green walls were lined with bookshelves filled with hard covered books. "So many books!"

Jack flew into the air and landed on top of a book shelf. He watched as the group skimmed through the shelves, picking out books that interested them. Soon enough, the floor of the library was covered with scattered books. Merida had found a book on mythical creatures while Eugene had found a book about Corona's history. Rapunzel found a book on art and another on geography. She quickly flipped through the art one and opened the geography one.

She opened to a page with a large world map. Jack leapt down from the bookshelf and sat down beside her, laying his staff down on the ground. "Where do you think we are?" She glanced at Jack before glancing back at the map. It was such a big world and she had seen so little of it. Jack smirked unsure.

However, his answer came from a stream of moonlight that peeked through a window above. Corona is located in what is now modern day Insel, Germany.

Jack shifted his gaze to Germany, searching for Insel. Of course this map wasn't up to date, but the land hadn't changed much. Being a free spirit for 300 years, Jack had traveled just about everywhere….twice. He knew just about every town in every country, like the back of his hand. "Hang on." He stood up and grabbed a magnifying glass from the librarian's table. He placed it over Germany and quickly found the farthest South-West lake, a lake now known as Lake Constance.

Jack had been to Insel only once, but he remembered a lot about it. Insel was also known as Lindau. Since the days of Corona, the land had been flattened. The castle, shops, and town homes had been replaced with white buildings topped with brick-orange roofs, a large church, and a railway for trains and lighthouses. Also unlike Corona, different trees had grown in place of most ones during this time. Many of the trees were still Weeping Willow trees, but there were more trees in Insel such as Old English Trees and Hazel trees. The orange bridge had been replaced with a concrete bridge for cars and another bridge had been constructed for the railway.

"Corona's here." He tapped on the magnifying glass. Rapunzel peered into it. "See that lake there?" Rapunzel nodded. "There's a really tiny island in the lake, and that's where we are. Actually, in my time, Corona is known as Insel, Germany." This caught the others' attention.

They sat down their books, except for Hiccup, who still hadn't found one; and walked over to Jack and Rapunzel's side, peering at the book. Merida sat down in between Hiccup and Eugene and pointed to a section of the map. "Thaur's Scotland, whaur Ah'm frae."

Hiccup glanced at Jack. "Care if I use this?" He picked up the magnifying glass. Jack shook his head. Hiccup shifted the magnifying glass over Scotland. Beneath the glass, he could make out several small dots along the coast of it. "One of these islands is Berk." Merida glanced at the islands.

"Oh, Jack, can you show us where Burgess is?!" Rapunzel looked at him.

Jack shrugged. "Sure, now, I'm in fact nowhere near you guys. May I?" Jack motioned to the magnifying glass. Hiccup handed it to him. Jack shifted his gaze to North America, noting that the continent wasn't completely correct, and set the magnifying glass over the east coast of the United States. He adjusted it over Pennsylvania and sat back. "Burgess is a small town in the middle of the state of Pennsylvania. I've explained how this works to Hiccup and Merida because they are from different time periods, but Pennsylvania is located in the new land which declared independence from Great Britain just six years ago in 1776. The new land, formerly known as the thirteen colonies, is now called the United States of America. The United States will end their war against Britain next year, 1783."

"Whoa." Rapunzel and Eugene simultaneously spoke, shocked by how much history he had taught them.

"Well, that's your history lesson for the day." Jack chuckled. The group shared a short laugh before returning to their books. Rapunzel closed her geography book and found another book to read.

Hiccup, who still did not have a book, continued to glance through the shelves. That was until he came across a small book in the last bookshelf. He pulled it out and glanced at the cover, which was a deep purple with gold lettering. Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed together and he opened it, quickly reading through the short book. His eyes widened a little and he silently walked over to Jack, who now sat in the corner of the room, watching the others.

"You might want to read this." Hiccup handed Jack the purple book. Jack glanced up at Hiccup before looking at the book. He now understood why Hiccup wanted him to read it. The book was called "The Missing Princess of Corona". Hiccup sat down beside him.

Jack opened the book and began reading it. 'It is said that in the late 1400s, during the peak of the Renaissance, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens and from this small drop, grew a magic, golden flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and injured. The flower seemed impossible for all to find, except for one. Rumors had spread across the lands of a woman who had found the magic flower. This woman walked among everyone else, unnoticed. Instead of sharing the sun's gift, this woman hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years. She hid the flower from sight and guarded it with her life.

'Centuries passed and the flower had not been found and the story of it turned into nothing but a myth. As the Renaissance came to an end, a new kingdom grew nearby. This kingdom was named Corona; after the story of the sun's magic flower. The kingdom was ruled by the beloved King Thomas and his queen, Primrose. Years later the king and queen were to be blessed with a child; that was, until the queen grew very ill. She was running out of time, and that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a mythical, magic, golden flower. The entire kingdom searched for the magic flower, for they loved the queen dearly. With an entire kingdom searching for it, the flower was soon found and brought to Corona. The magic of the golden flower healed the queen. A healthy baby girl, a princess was born, with beautiful golden hair.' Jack glanced at Hiccup.

"Hey, Eugene, check this out!" Rapunzel called him over to where she was sitting. Eugene set down his book and sat beside. They immediately began talking, drawing in Merida, who had just finished her book.

Hiccup spoke in a low voice. "A magic flower that healed a queen and gave a princess golden hair. Think about it. Rapunzel has blonde hair that glows gold and can heal people. She's got to be the missing princess."

Jack glanced at Rapunzel and sighed. She did indeed have all of those traits. "This also happened eighteen years ago. Rapunzel turns eighteen today, on the princess' birthday." He also spoke in a low voice. After a minute, he continued reading.

'To celebrate her birth, the king and the queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. And for that moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended. For a reason still unknown to this day, an old woman broke into the castle, stole the child and just like that –gone; leaving behind only a single lock of brown hair, presumably the old woman's hair. The kingdom searched and searched but they could not find the princess. Each year, on her birthday, the king and queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that someday, their lost princess would return.'

Jack's eyebrows pulled together and he closed the book, standing up. "Excuse us for a minute." He motioned for Hiccup to follow him as he set the book down on the shelf. The others quirked a brow but nodded. Hiccup gave them a shrug, stood up and followed Jack out the library's front door. "I believe you're right about Rapunzel." Jack stood outside in the plaza, now able to speak in a normal voice. "But how are we supposed to get her to believe that. She still thinks that the woman who takes care of her is her mother."

Hiccup smirked. "Her 'mother' must be the woman who originally found the flower." He thought for a moment. "Now, we don't want to ruin her birthday by telling her that her entire life has been a lie. How about we tell her tonight, after the lanterns' release. We can go from there."

"The lanterns!" Jack's eyes widened. "In the book it said that the king and queen celebrated her birth with a lantern. Rapunzel has only ever wanted to see the lanterns. She must subconsciously remember the lantern from when she was a baby!"

"Then Rapunzel has to be the princess. And remember the book also said that a single lock of brown hair was left behind? Rapunzel has one lock of brown hair that is short. Her 'mother' must have cut it thinking that her hair would stay magical and be able to heal her; but when it turned brown and powerless, she took Rapunzel." Hiccup broke everything down.

Jack nodded. "Alright, after the lanterns we'll tell her. Rapunzel deserves to be free. Corona deserves their princess back." Hiccup nodded in agreement and they silently entered the library door. The others glanced up form Rapunzel's book.

"Dae ye want tae dae somethin' else nou?" Merida asked.

"Sure." Jack shrugged. The group quickly put back their books, leaving the library clean, and exited the library. The plaza was now packed with people. Merida untied the horses.

That's when Hiccup noticed the position of the sun. More than three hours had passed. "We should probably check on Toothless."

Merida glanced up too. "We'll be back es suin es possible." Merida led Angus by the reigns and walked with Hiccup through crowded streets. Jack watched them go while Rapunzel gasped as she caught sight of a cart with chalk in it.

Eugen chuckled. "C'mon." He led her over to the cart where she picked out purple, pink, white and yellow chalk. Eugene paid the vendor. "What are you going to do with all that chalk?"

"Hmm." Rapunzel frowned. "I… don't know."

"Here, I've got an idea." Eugene walked over to a young boy who was selling flags. Rapunzel followed him. Eugene talked to the boy for a minute before handing him a coin. The boy handed Eugene a purple piece of cloth and tipped his brown hat in appreciation. "Why don't you do something creative with this." He handed Rapunzel the cloth. Rapunzel unfolded it to find Corona's flower-like sun in the center.

Rapunzel beamed. "Oh, thank you!" Eugene nodded. After a minute, Rapunzel noticed a whole bunch of kids drawing with chalk on the side of the plaza. She joined them and immediately started drawing, using the cloth as a reference. Jack lightly sat on Maximus' back, cross-legged with Pascal on his shoulder. He and Eugene watched as a masterpiece was formed before them.

Rapunzel started with Corona's golden sun and then drew pink-purple people between the sun's rays. The people she drew were based off of Corona's people. An elderly couple, a child in a carriage, a young family, children at play, a young couple, a woman helping an elderly woman. Outside the sun and people, she drew a purple back ground that simply reminded Jack of floral arrangements. By the time she was done, both of her hands were completely covered in chalk. She stepped back, happy with her work. She flashed Jack a smile and wiped her brow off with her forearm. The corners of Jack mouth pulled up, sensing her joy.

Once Rapunzel washed off her hands, they walked around the plaza some more, followed by Maximus. Jack placed Pascal on Rapunzel's shoulder. The chameleon squeaked in gratitude. "That's where he went!" She smiled. Pascal sniggered.

After a couple of minutes, Jack glanced through the shops. Most products sold in Corona were fruit and clothing. He passed the food shops, not needing food, and glanced at the clothes, stopping in his tracks. The first shirt he saw caught his attention. Although it didn't have a hood, it was strikingly similar to his sweatshirt, which he missed dearly. He walked up to the shirt and felt the fabric. Indeed, it was the same material. It was also the same royal blue and even had a formal form of pockets.

"What are you looking at?" Rapunzel walked up to him.

"This shirt; it reminds me so much of my sweatshirt that I left behind when I came here." His eyes sparked. "I'd give anything to have it back." Rapunzel smirked, glancing around. She caught sight of Eugene and a light smile formed on her face.

"How much is it?" She walked up to the shirt, looking for a price tag.

"13 Thalers!" The stall owner shouted over to them.

"That's actually a good price for a shirt, but I don't have any money. What little I had I used to buy your canvas." Jack smirked.

"Oh." Rapunzel smirked too. Jack straightened his collar and gripped his staff, homesick. "I'll be back." Rapunzel patted his shoulder and silently left, walking up to Eugene. "Is there a way I can borrow 13 Thalers from you? I owe Jack something."

Eugene quirked a brow, looking down at her. "Sure, but then you'll owe me."

"I know, I will pay you back when we get back to my tower; my mother has a secret stash of money there that she doesn't know that I know about." Rapunzel spoke. "I promise I'll pay you back."

"Fair enough." Eugene handed her the 13 silver coins.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel thanked him. She stood on her toes and kissed Eugene on the cheek in gratitude before running off to Jack side. Eugene stood there dazed for a moment. "Hey."

Jack glanced up at her. "Hey. What's in your hands?" He saw her hands clasped together, covering something.

"You bought me a canvas, which I am thankful for; but I owe you now." She revealed the coins in her hands.

"Oh, no; that's not necessary." Jack replied.

"Oh sure it is. It's what friends do, besides I can tell how much you miss your sweatshirt. I'll even sew on a hood for you, later." She looked at him, a smile on her face.

Jack's face softened. "Thanks Punzie, it means a lot to me." He abruptly hugged her.

She hugged back. "You're welcome Jack." They released each other. "Come on, let's go buy that shirt!" She smiled. She picked up the shirt and walked up to the stall owner. She handed the woman the coins, who quickly counted them.

"Thank you, have a good day." She smiled. Rapunzel nodded.

Rapunzel walked up to Jack and handed him the shirt. "Go put it on!" She shoved him teasingly. Jack laughed and flew off to find a place to switch out his shirts. Rapunzel walked up to Eugene. "Thank you." She smiled at him.

"You're welcome." Eugene returned her a smile. Maximus whinnied. The pair turned to find Hiccup, Merida and Angus. Angus whinnied back.

"Where's Jack?" Hiccup quirked a brow after a minute.

"Right here." Jack flew up behind them. Hiccup's jaw dropped. Merida glanced at him, a light smile on her face. Rapunzel and Eugene turned around.

"What?" He asked, quirking a brow. Jack stood before them, staff in hand. The white shirt was now long gone, replaced with the blue shirt that Rapunzel had bought him. The royal blue in the shirt brought out his ice blue eyes. A thin layer of ice crept across the shoulder part of his shirt and down his chest, once again giving him his iconic Jack Frost look.

"Whoa." Rapunzel's eyes widened in awe.

"Ye luik guid en blue." Merida explained, the corners of her mouth pulling up.

Jack flashed a smile, his white teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Oh." Eugene nodded in approval.

A sudden, growling noise came from behind them and they glanced back at Maximus. "Sounds like he's hungry." Hiccup pointed out.

"We should probably get something to eat anyway." Eugene muttered. Rapunzel nodded. Eugene, Rapunzel, Merida, and Hiccup stood in line at a nearby food shop while Jack, who didn't need food, stood between Maximus and Angus. Jack glanced around the plaza, content.

Merida unclipped a small bag from the sheath at her waist. She untied the tiny bag and glanced in it. Shock crossed her face.

"What?" Hiccup glanced at her.

She picked up a coin from inside, flipping it around in her pale hand. "Mah money has chaenged. T'ey 're Corona Thalers nou."

"Wow, that's cool!" Hiccup's thick eyebrows pulled up. Merida nodded.

Rapunzel, however, ignored their conversation and looked across the plaza, intrigued. She silently stepped out of line and walked across the plaza, to the mural of the royal family. Jack watched her walk, hope sparking in his ice blue eyes. She stood there alone for a good minute before he joined her.

At the bottom of the mural, a young mother and her two daughters sat. The oldest daughter set down a beautiful purple flower. "It's for the lost princess." The dark-haired girl explained to her baby sister. Rapunzel noticed dozens of other flowers at the base of the mural. At her side, a flash of white caught her attention and she turned to face Jack.

"Lost princess?" Rapunzel asked.

Jack breathed. "See the little girl in the mural?" Rapunzel nodded. "About eighteen years ago, the princess was kidnapped; and hasn't been seen since."

Rapunzel frowned. "Why was she kidnapped?"

"No one really knows." Jack smirked. Although he really did know, he decided to save the real story for after the lanterns.

"Oh." Rapunzel eyed the missing princess. "She has blonde hair and green eyes, just like me."

Jack's eyes sparked. "Yeah." He simply nodded, before sighing. She would know the truth soon enough. Rapunzel continued to stare at the mural. Something about it drew her to it. She just couldn't place the feeling. "You okay, Punzie?" He asked.

Rapunzel pursed her lips. "Yeah, it's just…. There's something about this mural. Something I can't quite place my finger on."

"Oh." Jack gripped his staff.

Just then, three men passed by, playing instruments. The first man reminded Jack of Robin Hood. This man played a guitar, while the large man that followed him played a violin. The third man reminded Jack of a musketeer, mainly because of his large hat and plume-like feather. This final man played a basic form of a clarinet. Rapunzel turned to watch them and a smile lit up her face. She happily followed them.

Back at the food stand, Eugene, Merida, and Hiccup had just bought several loaves of bread and wedges of cheese. They soon turned to find Rapunzel dancing in the middle of the plaza. She danced lightly to the trio's music, twirling around in circle. Her large braid echoed her movements, no longer getting in the way.

A smile fought its way on to Merida's face as Rapunzel danced right up to a young five year-old boy, taking his hands. The young boy smiled up at Rapunzel as his mother urged him on. The pair danced around in circles before they broke away from each other. Rapunzel lightly ran over to a pair of men, pulling one into the "dance" area. More people joined in as she once again pulled another man to the center of the plaza. That man grabbed a nearby woman's arm, who grabbed an older man's arm. The three of them soon began to dance with the rest. Rapunzel then skipped over to a woman who stood alone and hooked her arm around her elbow and pulled her into the dance.

Soon enough, the rest of the people in the plaza began to clap to the beat and the dancers took each other's hands and danced around the circle of Corona's flower in a line. The line broke off and people quickly found pairs to dance with. Merida removed her sheath and bow and set them down beside Angus.

"Come oan!" She pulled on Hiccup's hand.

"Whoa!" Hiccup quickly followed her, light on his feet. His prosthetic clicked against the ground. Jack flashed a smile. Eugene caught sight of Rapunzel as she motioned for him to join them. He held out his hand, refusing. However, Maximus had different plans.

The white horse booted Eugene forward, sending him right on to the dance floor. Jack caught the two loaves of bread that had been in Eugene's hands before they hit the ground. Eugene glared back at Maximus as a woman took his hand. Maximus whinnied and Pascal squeaked. Jack sniggered and placed the food in a pocket on the side of Maximus' saddle. Although Jack wanted to dance like the rest of them, he knew that most adults wouldn't be able to see him; his efforts would be pointless. Or so he thought.

There was a tug on Jack's shirt and he glanced down. A bright smile crossed his face. There at his side was Jenny; in her rose colored skirt, yellow shirt, black belt, brown shoes, long, white socks and five wild braids. "Jack! Will you dance with us?!" Jack then noticed Lainey, Stacey, and Agnes a few feet away.

"Of course!" He grinned. Jenny took his cold hand and led him over to the other fountain girls. More children joined them as the small group danced.

The sound of children laughing caught Rapunzel's attention and the corners of her mouth pulled up when she saw Jack dancing with the young children. Rapunzel switched partners. Not far away, she saw Merida and Hiccup dancing. Even with his prosthetic, Hiccup was light on his feet and was able to keep up with the music's tempo.

To her right, Eugene looked at her and outstretched his hand, an open invitation to dance with him. She nodded and extended her hand. It came time to switch partners again and they danced towards each other, however; before they could meet up, two people came between them and started dancing with each of them. Rapunzel gave Eugene a smile and danced with her partner.

The music began to speed up and the dancers began to dance faster. Rapunzel found herself spinning in circles across the center of the plaza until she collided with Eugene as the song abruptly ended. The pair looked into each other's eyes, smiled and panted for breath, exhausted from all the dancing.

"To the boats!" A Corona citizen called in the distance. Rapunzel shyly stepped away from Eugene. Hiccup, Merida, and Jack approached the pair.

"Nou whit?" Merida asked, panting for breath. The streets soon emptied.

"Everyone else is going to the ports." Hiccup pointed out.

Jack smirked. "Yeah, but we don't have a boat."

"You can rent gondolas for pretty cheap." Eugene shrugged. "But they only fit 2-3 people."

Jack nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. "Might as well." He smirked.

The group silently made their way down to the docks. "What are you guys going to do during the lanterns?" Rapunzel asked.

Jack frowned. "Watch from the bridge, I suppose." Rapunzel nodded and turned to face Hiccup and Merida.

"With the cover of night, Toothless can come out of hiding. So I'll spend time with him." Hiccup paused and turned to Merida. "Say, you let me ride Angus, why don't I give you a ride on Toothless?"

Merida's eyes popped open a little. "Really?"

"Sure, why not." Hiccup shrugged, a light smile on his lips.

"Okay, Ah guess." She shrugged back.

In the sky above, the sun quickly began to set. Once the group reached the docks, Eugene rented a gondola from a boat vender. Afterwards, he paused to speak with the group. "Where do you want to meet up after the lanterns?

Jack glanced across the large body of water. "See that large boulder on the shore? We could meet there."

"Sounds good." Eugene replied. Hiccup nodded. Pascal leapt from Maximus' back to Eugene's shoulder as Rapunzel quietly boarded the gondola.

"See you guys soon!" Rapunzel beamed. Merida waved as Eugene stepped in the gondola, grabbing an oar. Jack gave the gondola a push and it slowly moved away from the dock.

Hiccup, Jack, and Merida silently left the dock, leaving behind Maximus, who stared after Eugene and Rapunzel. Eugene glanced back at the white horse. "Hey Max!" He tossed a sack across the water, to the dock where nearly a dozen red apples spilled out on the deck. Maximus squinted at Eugene, who gave him a face and threw his arms out in defense. "What? I bought them." He began paddling as Maximus' head bent down to eat two apples. "Most of them." Maximus froze.

"Where are we going?" Rapunzel turned around to face Eugene as he placed Pascal on a wooden peace at the back of the gondola.

"Well, best day of your life, I figured you should have a decent seat."

The sun had completely set by the time Eugene had rowed the gondola far out into the water. In the distance, the kingdom of Corona was dark. Very few lights were lit, leaving the kingdom to face the night in darkness. Eugene turned the gondola so that the full kingdom was in view. After a minute, Rapunzel sighed, crossing her arms against the rim of the gondola. She looked down, unsure.

"You okay?" Eugene glanced at her.

"I'm terrified." She replied softly, slowly glancing at him.

He turned to face her. "Why?"

Rapunzel stared at the water. "I've been looking out a window for eighteen years," She glanced up at the castle. "Dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky." She paused. "What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be." The corners of Eugene's mouth pulled up.

Rapunzel sighed again and closed her eyes. "And what if it is? What do I do then?"

"Well, that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream." He shrugged. Rapunzel smiled at him before they both glanced up to the castle, waiting.

Several minutes pass and Rapunzel gradually grew bored. She silently picked a single flower from the bottom of her long braid and twirled it around in her hand by the stem. After a minute, she set it in the water and watched it slowly float away. She pulled another flower out of her hair, but at a different spot, and set it too in the water. This seemed to entertain her and she soon found that Eugene had taken the liberty of pulling random flowers out of her hair for her. She gave him a smile and decided which flower to put in first.

She daintily picked up a purple flower and laid it on top of the water, watching it follow the rest of the flowers. She smiled and glanced down at the water, seeing the reflection of Corona. Then she saw it, a small light that was reflected in the water. Her smile steadily dropped and her eyes widened. She looked up from the water and saw the light floating away from the castle.

She could almost sing the words that flooded her mind, after all that time; it was finally here. 'All those days watching from the windows, all those years outside looking in.' She scrambled to her feet, reaching the end of the gondola, where she held on. 'All that time, never even knowing, just how blind I've been. Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight.' She watched in awe as hundreds of lanterns floated into the sky, following the first one. 'Now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it's all so clear. I'm where im meant to be.'

Rapunzel sighed as the golden lanterns floated over Corona and across the water. Lanterns also floated away from nearby boats, lighting up the night sky. 'And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted.' The lanterns floated above the gondola and Rapunzel glanced up. 'All at once, everything looks different.'

A warm glow from behind her caught her attention and Rapunzel slowly turned away from the end of the gondola. Behind her, Eugene sat with two large lanterns in his hands, a smile on his face. 'Now that I see you.' Shock crossed her face and she giddily crossed the gondola to sit across from him. However, before she even took a lantern from his hand, she paused.

"I have something for you, too." She reached behind her and pulled out Eugene's satchel. Eugene's mouth popped open. "I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

To his own surprise, Eugene refused to take the satchel. He placed his hand on it and pushed it to the side. "I'm starting to."

Rapunzel smiled as Eugene handed her a lantern. Together, they launched their glowing lanterns into the air.

This time, it was Eugene's thoughts that made him want to sing; which was rare. 'All those days, chasing down a daydream. All those years living in a blur. All that time never truly seeing, things the way they were.' He glanced down at Rapunzel, the corners of his mouth pulling up. 'Now she's here, shining in the starlight.' Rapunzel beamed as a lantern floated toward them. She pointed excitedly and caught it, sending it back into the sky. 'Now she's here, suddenly I know. If she's here, it's crystal clear.' And then he made the first move and reached his left hand out to take her right hand. 'I'm where I'm meant to go.' Rapunzel's jaw popped open and she turned to face Eugene, taking his other hand in hers.

And as if they had heard each other's thoughts, the pair broke into song. "And at last I see the light."

Rapunzel paused to allow Eugene to have his own solo. "And it's like the fog has lifted."

Rapunzel breathed and they sang together again. "And at last I see the light."

"And it's like the sky is new." Eugene gave Rapunzel her own solo.

"And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different. Now that I see you." They sang together. They slowly leaned in towards each other. Behind them, Pascal blushed a deep red and covered his eyes. "Now that I see you." Eugene brushed aside a piece of hair from her face and placed his hand around her jaw, thumb in front of her ear. They slowly leaned in and Rapunzel closed her eyes.

Eugene had nearly closed his eyes when something in the distance caught his eyes and he glanced up. In the distance, the Stabbington brothers stood on the shore of the mainland, lit by a single green lantern. He watched them slowly walk off and he knew that they were meaning for him to follow.

Rapunzel opened her eyes and sat up. "Is…. Everything okay?"

Eugene straightened. "Huh? Oh, yes, uh, huh. Yes, of course. I just…" He glanced down at the satchel. He knew he had to fix this.

Abruptly, Eugene rowed the gondola to the mainland's shore. "I'm sorry, everything is fine. There's just something I have to take care of." He picked up the satchel.

Rapunzel continued to sit in the gondola, nervously eyeing the satchel. "O-okay."

"I'll be right back." He took a step back and turned to go, but paused. "I promise." He looked over his shoulder sadly before walking into the distance, disappearing into the night.

Pascal crawled on to Rapunzel's shoulder and she looked at him. "It's alright, Pascal." She spoke to reassure the chameleon, but more importantly, to reassure herself. Her heart raced in her chest and she felt numb. She couldn't put her finger on what was happening.

Minutes later, she hopped out of the gondola and began to pace a little before she hugged the end of the gondola, terrified and alone. She glanced back in the direction that Eugene had left and let out a sigh of relief as a figure walked toward her.

"I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." She smiled and glanced at Pascal before glancing back at the figure. However, as the figure drew closer, it also grew larger. Much larger than Eugene. And then to her horror, the dark figure split into two large figures.

Rapunzel's smile dropped and her eyes widened. "He did." One of the Stabbington brothers spoke as they approached her.

"What? No, he wouldn't." Rapunzel straightened.

"See for yourself." The same brother extended his hand toward the water.

Rapunzel uneasily walked past them and glanced across the water, catching sight of a small sail boat. "Eugene." She squinted. Sure enough, she saw Eugene at the wheel, steering the boat towards Corona. "Eugene!" She cried out.

A Stabbington brother walked up behind her, feeling her hair. "Fair trade, a crown for the girl with the magic hair?"

Rapunzel abruptly turned around. "How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" The same brother continued to speak, pulling out a large bag from behind his back.

"No, please." Rapunzel threw up her hands in defense. The brothers closed in on her, holding the bag to pull it over her head. "No!" She ran away quickly. She was actually running so fast that she tripped, but caught herself and continued running. She ran around the large boulder where she and Eugene were supposed to meet the others and leapt over a large log. However, as she leapt over the log, the end part of her braid got caught on a branch. "No!" She tugged on her hair, trying to get free. The Stabbington brothers would catch up with her in no time.

However, they didn't come. She listened intently as sounds came from behind the boulder. Grunts and moans echoed off of the water as the sound continued. Rapunzel was finally able to set herself free of the log.

The sounds came to a cease and a voice cried out into the night. Jack's voice. "Rapunzel?!"