You guys are amazing! Thanks for staying in tune with this story, I'm loving the feedback and happy to know that I haven't disappointed you guys in some way. XD (You know, for the lack of Jack and Hiccup interaction which happened to this one as well.)
I also made another hijack/frostcup story by the way. It is titled, "Save me with your touch." Sooo~ if you guys are interested, mind checking it out? ;3
Guest - Haha, yes! That scene was based on that short film. I just love that scene so much that I just had to include it somewhere. XD
For those who were asking when will they know each other's identity, my only answer would be: The time when the pain of past would compete with the pain of present and be the basis for the pain of future.
Haha, don't ask me what that means. XDD (I actually don't know...or do I? *smirks*)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the plot. :)
Chapter 10
"Come on, Toothless! Let's go, stop with the berries already!" Hiccup commanded, trying to pull the reins of Toothless. The said horse just snorted at his friend's weak pull, gaining an irritated scowl from the small boy. Hiccup eventually got tired, placing his hands on his hips while tapping his right foot. "Are you seriously going to be this way?"
Jackson craned his head towards the two, chuckling as he prepared the torch. The sky was in shades of orange and yellow now, signalling the rise of the moon with the intent of enveloping the woods in darkness. Jamie made sure that he was well equipped with things he would need for this race. Unfortunately, it was only enough for one person, causing Jack to suggest that they stick together for the rest of the race since Hiccup did not bring anything with him other than his horse.
"How long do you think it would take us to get to the finish line?" Jackson asked, holding the unlit torch in his hand.
"We have to get back to the main road first which will take us like…ten minutes? And we still need to travel another twelve miles so…I guess three more hours." Hiccup replied, pulling Toothless' rein once again. And this time, Toothless obliged, an expression of satisfaction was present in the horse's face. "If you get tummy aches, it's not my fault." Hiccup said, pointing a finger at the equine's face. The horse made a whining noise in reply, nuzzling Hiccup's neck. "It won't work, Toothless, stop." Hiccup ordered with a chuckle, feeling tickled by the horse's snout.
Jackson laughed at the scene, mounting his horse. "Let's go. It'll be good if we reach the main road before the sun sets."
Hiccup mounted Toothless right away. Then Jackson gave him a smirk, "Race ya there, tiny sir!" He took off right away, leaving Hiccup and Toothless at their spot. Hiccup glanced down at Toothless and tapped his friend by the neck, "You heard him, bud. Let's show him how it's done."
Toothless galloped his two front hooves before running after the two. It did not take long for Toothless to reach the russet horse and Hiccup locked eyes with Jacyn, giving him a wink as they pass by. Instead of feeling challenged, Jackson felt like blushing and left him thinking about his reaction. When Jackson arrived at the main road, he saw Hiccup sitting lazily atop Toothless' back while inspecting his nails. The smaller boy quickly gave him a smug look, "Took you long enough."
"I was distracted, mind you." Jackson said with a roll of his eyes, "But I got to admit, you two were really something back there." He said, taking out a matchbox and lighting up the torch.
Hiccup smiled down at his horse, "I could say the same to you two…if only the rider was not easily distracted…" He trailed off with a smirk, saying the last three words sarcastically. "Let's get going?"
Jackson chuckled then took off.
Jamie and Merida hanged out after the Princess treated Jamie's wound personally. And now they stood at the finish line, waiting for their friends to appear.
"A can't believe this! A expected Heccup tah win." Merida said, crossing her arms with a pout as she saw several men hoot at their achievement of reaching the finish line.
Jamie looked at her in question. He was now less blushy when he converse with the Princess for he was getting used to her company. "Really? Are they that good?"
Merida snorted, "Good? That's nae even enough tah describe those two." She replied, "A wonder if somethin' happened tah them." She added worriedly.
"Hope not. I haven't seen Jackson as well," Jamie informed, brushing his hair back with his hands. "I wonder if I packed enough for him to last."
Merida raised her eyebrow towards Jamie, "Ye address the Crown Prince with his name?" she asked, making Jamie pause his hand at the top of his head.
He chuckled nervously, feeling the back of his neck shake, "Uhh…did I call him by his name?" He asked, looking at Merida, who replied with a nod. "Please, don't tell anybody, your Highness. We've been friends since we're young…and I just got used to calling them by their name." Jamie explained.
"A see, no worries. Yer secret is safe with me." She replied with a smile and Jamie gratefully returned it with a sheepish one. "Where is the other twin though?" She asked out of nowhere and Jamie knocked his head in thought because the last time he saw him was back at the ring. "I don't really know. I haven't heard any scream yet…so, I can't really tell."
"Scream?" Merida quirked her brows, shaking her head right away, "Nah, don't bother answerin' that. A think A know what ye mean."
"Triplets?" Jamie asked with a smirk, making Merida snort while nodding.
"Haha, tell you what, your Highness. I think they conspired to wreck havoc. They stole berries earlier and I sure do hope they are not up to something…too chaotic." Jamie said the last two words with a cringe.
"Berries, ye say? A think they will just eat those." Merida said, thinking on how much his brothers love sweets, "A'm not sure about the twins though."
"I ain't got an idea as well and it's not really the twins. It's just Jack that I saw with the triplets earlier."
"Is that so? Better, isn't it? It means less trouble." Merida said.
Jamie quickly shook his head, almost making him dizzy, "No, your Highness. Definitely not, having them separated just meant double trouble. I swear if we weren't outside our Kingdom, those two could have exploded a chimney by now."
"Really? If my brothers grew up tah be like that. A'm sure Maudie won't even last for three years."
"The maid, your Highness?"
Merida nodded her head in reply, "Yea." She moved her body to face Jamie, making the other face her as well. "And stop callin' me yer highness already. Just call me Merida or just Mer."
"I can't do that, Princess Merida." Jamie replied blushingly. It was not an easy request because calling her without formality meant closeness, not that he was against the idea but he was none but a commoner after all. He could not say that their situation was the same as the twin princes for he had known those two for years while he conversed with the Princess for a few times. She did not even remember him all these years and the twins had to remind her about his name.
"Why nae? Aren't we friends now?" She asked, one of her brow was raised and her mouth was slightly open.
Jamie licked his lips, thinking of what to say. He was ecstatic at the idea of being friends with his long time crush and decided to take up her offer. He was about to say, 'Yes we're friends, Merida,' when the familiar voice of the Queen was heard behind her.
"Merida," the Queen called. Merida spun on her heels while Jamie bowed dutifully.
The Queen acknowledged his presence with a slight nod before locking eyes with Merida. "The feast is about tah start, A am sure Hiccup would understand."
Merida visibly slouched her shoulders while the Queen averted her gaze to Jamie. "Mr. Bennett, do ye happen tah know where the princes are?" She inquired.
Jamie replied in the coolest way possible, "I am afraid I have not seen them yet, your Majesty. I will make sure to bring them at the feast once I saw them."
The Queen nodded her head then glanced back at Merida, "Let's get going, Merida." And Merida followed with a huff, giving an apologetic look at Jamie.
The two left, leaving Jamie at his spot. He watched the back of Merida and the Queen, remembering the time he first met the Princess.
(Flashback)
Jamie, at the age of eight, was invited by the twin princes to tag along with them at a royal wedding ball in the Far East. And he was dreading every single second of it for everybody at the ball were royally titled or blood-related to said royals. The only commoners to be seen inside the halls would either be workers, maids or personal assistants of the real guests, who did not even bother to talk to him. He would not really mind if only someone would stop by and chat with him. He half-expected the twins to do that but the problem was, they were being ushered to meet several people, making them lose the opportunity to accompany him.
He was running out of things to do inside the ball room. He thought of dancing but he was not a good dancer, given his age and lack of dance practices. There was literally nothing else for him to do other than eating, which he had done for an hour now and he felt like his stomach would explode if he saw another piece of cake at his plate.
He saw that the twin princes were still mobbed by princes and princesses alike so he decided to go out and look for something else to do. His feet took him into the garden and he was amazed at the designs in which the bushes and trees were cut, most of them were designed to look like a dragon. One in particular was so long that he decided to follow it. He started by its tail, taking him three turns before he reached its head.
What he saw at the end made him say, "Wow." Not because of the way the dragon's head was designed but because he saw a rare mass of curly red orange hair which contrasted with the green background provided by the garden.
"Dance here, dance there! Why won't she just listen!? Mah feet hurts already," ranted the girl with massive red-orange hair. The girl went to shoot an arrow to one of the angel statue, missing it and causing the arrow to hit and bounce at the tree beside the statue. Jamie felt like it would not be good to approach the infuriated girl so he decided to hide by a nearby bush.
The little girl slumped her shoulders, craning her head up then down. She walked to where the arrow flew, saying, "Why do A keep on missin'!?"
Jamie squinted his eyes and saw that the arrow does not have a sharp point rather it had something he thought was made of rubber, making the arrow bounce instead of digging through its target. The Princess took the arrow from the ground then tried to shoot once again. But this time, she went to target a different statue which happened to be a ruler away from where Jamie hid.
As bad his luck may call it, the arrow hit him at the back of his head, making him yelp.
"Who's there!?" the girl shouted which startled Jamie. He immediately thought that the girl would scold him and rant him to someone, causing trouble for his twin friends since he was invited by the two after all. The first solution that entered his mind was to flee and he did exactly that. He stood on his feet, running as fast as he could, far away from the girl who kept on shouting behind him.
He was running so fast that he did not have enough time to put his feet into a stop when he saw a stout, black haired kid appeared at the corner. He collided harshly at the kid, making them tumble down the ground.
Jamie felt himself lifted by the collar of his shirt. He opened his eyes, only to see the kid he bumped into was holding him up with a fist inches away from his face. "You dare bump into me!?" The kid said menacingly.
"I'm sorry," Jamie said, wiggling his suspended feet.
"Stan, put him down already." A girl with braided blonde hair warned, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
A set of blonde, Jamie guessed to be twins, snickered and high-fived each other while another plump blonde boy fiddled with his fingers, looking at Jamie with pity. "Uhh, Stan, I don't think this is a good idea…" the plump kid said.
"Shut up, Fred!" the kid named Stan said, moving his fist back to hit Jamie in the face, making Jamie brace his self for the blow, only to be surprised when something flew past Stan's face, hitting the blonde male twin. The girl twin snickered at his brother, kicking her twin by the ribs.
Jamie visibly winced, averting his eyes from the twins to where the arrow came from. There, he saw the red-haired girl, huffing with the bow in her hand. "Let him go!" She said, her voice was thick with accent.
Stan raised his brow, his fist was still inches away from Jamie's face. He looked at Jamie, "Ohh, is that your girlfriend?" He whispered teasingly, making Jamie blush. "N-no…" Jamie stuttered.
Stan glanced back at the girl, saying, "Piss off, Princess. I don't hit gi—," he said, stopping midway of his sentence for the girl with braided hair pulled him by the ears, making Stan let go of Jamie.
"Enough of this, we still have to look for Hakon." The braided girl said, pulling Stan with her.
The kid named Fred went down to help Jamie back to his feet, "Sorry about that." He apologized while fiddling with his hands then walked after the two. The female twin pulled his brother by the feet, dragging him after Stan and the others.
Jamie stared at the retreating group, spinning on his heel when the red-haired girl spoke, "Ye okay?"
Jamie nodded his head, blushing in embarrassment. "Y-yes." He stuttered.
"Ye got dirt on yer cheek," the red-haired girl said, walking past him to pick her arrow.
Jamie scrubbed his face with the sleeve of his coat, watching the Princess stand back in front of him. "Ye'r the one who was watchin' me back there, aren't ye?" She asked.
Jamie sheepishly nodded his head, "I'm sorry."
Merida shrugged, "A was gonna sey sorry but then ye ran away." She said, shooting her arrow at a nearby tree, only for it to miss again. The girl huffed in irritation, walking to pick up the arrow.
Jamie watched the girl, seeing the problem, "You should watch out for your elbow…" He suggested, making the girl look at him, "What?"
"Uhm…the elbow should be match the ground and look straight at the tip of your arrow…" He elaborated.
Merida raised her brow, "How ye know abou' that?"
Jamie often watched the twin princes' when they were training. And one of those would be arrow shooting. He did not have the time to reply though for the Princess went ahead to shoot the arrow, following Jamie's instructions. And unbelievably, she had done it correctly at her first try.
Her eyes widened and her lips curled into a wide smile, jumping and twirling in joy. "A did it! A did it! Have ye seen tha!?" She asked, grabbing Jamie's hand and twirling him around with her.
Jamie felt himself smile as well, "Y-yeah, you were great." He complimented.
Merida stopped twirling, saying, "A'm Princess Merida of Dunbroch. But ye can call me Merida or just Mer."
Jamie shook his head, "I can't, your Highness."
Merida pursed his lips, "Why nae? Aren't we friends?"
Jamie softened his face, delighted to know the princess acknowledged him as her friend. He was about to say, 'Ah yes, Merida,' only to be interrupted by a woman's voice.
"Merida," a beautiful woman with brown hair called, making the princess twirl on her heels, shouting, "Mom!"
"A was lookin' all over for ye, were ye playin' with yer bow again?" The Queen asked, her voice was thick with accent.
"Ye but look, A can shoot now!" Merida boasted, making the Queen smile. "That can wait later, sweetie. Let us go inside the hall," the Queen said, ushering Merida with her.
"B-but," contested Merida, looking back at Jamie.
The said boy just watched as the princess was pulled away, shifting his eyes down to his feet in a frown. He gazed around and saw the arrow that the princess shoot, realizing that she left it. He went to grab it and hoped he would have the chance to return it.
(End of Flashback)
"Déjà vu," Jamie muttered under his breath, looking at the horizon and hoping to see the twins soon.
"Hop, hop, hop goes the rabbit," a deep voice sing-songed, hopping around while holding up his hands atop his head, mimicking the way rabbit's ears stood up. "Ey' you, bloke! You dare touch those eg-gs!" Jack delivered with a croak of his voice, doing a boxing stance with his hands while hopping his feet back and forth, punching in an invisible opponent in front of him.
The kids watched intently at Jack, some were fascinated with the Prince's shadow caused by the bonfire. They all giggled as Jack continued with his story. "Bu' no bunny wabbit moves like tha'" a girl of three years old said.
The other kids who were gathered around the bonfire nodded in agreement.
Jack stopped but kept his boxing pose, "Oh yeah, what do I look like then?" He asked while smiling.
"A kangaroo!" One of the kids shouted from the crowd, making Jack raise his brow. "A kangaroo?" He asked in repeat then thought of their friend-and-sometimes-enemy. He quickly burst into a fit of giggles, nodding his head at the notion.
'He can't hate me when I call him that.' Jack thought, wiping his eyes brimmed with joyful tears.
The maids came, announcing the start of the feast and the kids quickly took off, waving their goodbyes at the Prince. Jack returned the gesture by waving his hands with a smile. Feeling the night chill course through him, he searched his bag for his cloak, wearing it to cover his entire body and pulling the hood atop his head.
He made his to the feast by following a path lightened by braziers, walking straight into the left wooden table wherein the Macintoshes sat. Jack nodded his head at young Macintosh. The young heir returned the gesture with a nod before swishing his curly black hair, making the nearby girls swoon.
He took his seat while assessing the area. It seemed that MacGuffins and Dingwalls were sharing the table located in front of them while the Dunbroch family were perched at the middle. King Fergus and the triplets were the only ones present at the moment.
Jack averted his eyes from the situated tables, looking at the crowd who were diligently but noisily waiting for the King to announce the start of the feast. It did not take long before Queen Elinor and Princess Merida came, walking straight into the middle table. Jack looked around in search of Hiccup, pulling his hood closer to his face in his attempt to hide.
"Are ye here tah ask her hand in marriage?" said someone, making Jack whip his head and found out it was the young Macintosh who spoke.
"Me? Oh no, no. Not me. It's my brother," Jack replied with a shrug.
"Ah, A see, A haven't seen him face to face, does he look like you?"
"Same face but with different hair and eye color." Jack answered while sniffing.
"It's better yer brother gave up," young Macintosh suggested, causing Jack to curiously look at him.
Young Macintosh smirked, "Look, A am not doin' this cause' of hidden motives. We've competed for her hand before, only for us tah be turned down."
Jack's attention was slowly perking now, "Oh?"
Young Macintosh nodded, "She said somethin' abou' shootin' for her own hand but A heard from gossips tha' she did tha' cause' she already has someone she likes."
Jack thought through what young Macintosh said, "Did the gossip say who?" If this rumor was true, it would be unfortunate for Jamie, he thought.
Young Macintosh waved at the ladies before whipping his head back to Jack's direction, "Well, the girls said tha' he was the lad the Princess always hangs out with…." He paused to drink from his mug before continuing, "Heccup is his name, ye know, they said the Princess gave tha' name tah him."
"Like a nickname?" Jack inquired.
"Nope, like his name name." Young Macintosh replied by emphasizing the last word.
Jack was about to question when suddenly the chair close to him moved. He whipped his head and was startled to see his uncle. Pitch sneered, "Where is your brother?"
"I don't know, I'm not his babysitter." Jack replied, rolling his eyes. He just realized that he put Jamie in a bad position for saying that, making him jolt up from his sit, "Know what, I'll go lo-ok for him." He said with another croak of his voice, jumping from his seat and running out weakly.
Pitch was about to stop him but it was too late now so he just shook his head then sat up to inform the King and Queen to go ahead with the feast.
Jack searched around for Jackson and Jamie, feeling the heat spread through his body and having the chilly night air make his skin crawl. After minutes of searching, Jack finally saw Jamie standing near the fences of the racing competition. "Jamie!" He shouted, causing him to cough. The said boy craned his head towards Jack and ran up to him.
"You alright, man?" Jamie asked, patting Jack at his back.
Jack held up a hand, "Yeah, I'm good," he said, pulling the cloak closer to his body, "Where's Jackson?"
Jamie looked worriedly at Jack, "He's not back yet from the race; it's actually making me worry already."
Jack coughed again, "How long has it been?"
Jamie was all-the-more-worried now, "You know, you should just go back to the castle and have some rest." He suggested, not answering Jack's question.
Jack shrugged, "I'm fine…," shaking a bit, "I'll live through this, how's the shoulder?" He asked.
Jamie looked at his treated shoulder, "It's fine, it won't kill me."
Jack gave a knowing-look, causing Jamie to roll his eyes, "Don't start with me right now, Jack. I haven't forgiven you yet."
Jack chuckled, "Ohhh, someone's being ungrateful, right after all the effort I did." He said slyly. "Lying on the ground, sunlight brimming from the skies, the girl of your drea-," he teased, stopping when Jamie interrupted.
"Ah, shut it, Jack!" Jamie said, blushing in embarrassment. "It was an accident." He huffed.
"I know." Jack laughed. His voice was evidently thicker now, threatening to give another fit of coughs. "When will Jackson come anyway…? Pitch is looking for us."
Jamie sighed, "I don't know either. I was half-expecting him to be here before the sun set."
Jack sat at the ground, "Let's wait for him then. I don't want to stay at the table with Pitch."
Jamie sat beside him, looking ahead. Jack coughed from time to time, enclosing his self with his cloak. The two looked up at the sky, tracing stars with their eyes. Suddenly, the freckly face of Hiccup entered Jack's mind, reminding him of the gossip that young Macintosh told him. He contemplated whether to tell his friend or not, sighing as he decided to inform Jamie.
"Hey-," the two said at the same time, widening their eyes and telling each other to go ahead. "Jamie, just say what you have to say already," Jack whined.
Jamie rolled his eyes, "Fine." He said, placing his hands at the ground, "You think Jackson is with the kid?"
Jack looked questioningly at Jamie, "Kid?"
"Hiccup."
"Oh…" Jack trailed, "Wait? Why? Is he at the race too?" He inquired.
"Yeah, the Princess was waiting here earlier but had to leave for the feast," Jamie informed, making Jack stood up. Jamie furrowed his brows, "Uhh…what's up?"
"You know what is up. I can't be seen together with Jackson." Jack said and was about to walk out when suddenly, Jamie tackled him facedown to the soft ground, sitting on his back. "Look, I know that you two look out for each other but I know there is something more behind this cautiousness you are doing."
Jack tried to wiggle free, giving up when he could not budge his friend, "I'm sick right now, you shouldn't be doing this to me," Jack said, resting his forehead on his arms.
"Don't change the subject."
Jack sighed in defeat, "Fine, just get off." Jamie nodded, sliding to the side and lying on his back.
Jack mumbled, making Jamie ask, "What?" Jack lied on his back, looking up at the sky.
"Don't tell Jackson, okay?"
"Lips are sealed."
"Okay…I went to talk to the kid."
Jamie sat up, "Uhhh…you mean to say…"
"Nope, he didn't see my face." Jack said and Jamie furrowed his eyes in thought. "I wore my mask, no big deal, really." Jack added.
Jamie made an O shape with his mouth, not making any sound.
"So yeah, Jackson's charade is still safe."
"Why do that then?" Jamie asked, squinting his eyes and seeing Jackson's horse. "Oh look, Jackson's here."
Jack sat up fast, eyes wide, pulse rising and hands sweating. "Relax, he's alone." Jamie assured him.
The two stood up, waving at Jackson's way. There were enough braziers around to lighten up their spot. Jackson saw them right away after thanking the organizers for congratulating him. He walked out of the fence with his horse, jogging along with him.
"Hey, have you guys been waiting too long?" Jackson asked.
"Nah…just a few hours." Jamie said, taking the reins from Jackson's hand.
"And you're not complaining?" Jackson raised his brow, making Jack chuckle and say, "I have an idea why."
"Agh, Jack. Seriously." Jamie said in annoyance.
Jack coughed once again, causing Jackson to stop in his walk and look at his brother. "You're getting worse."
Jack shrugged it off, continuously walking ahead. Jackson glanced at Jamie, "Ask someone to bring him back to rest."
Jack huffed, "Jackson, stop treating me like a kid." He said, gritting his teeth.
Jamie just looked at the two, already expecting the two to have another pointless fight.
"Jack." Jackson said with an expressionless face. Jack twisted on his heel, staring back at his brother's hazel eyes. Jamie watched and felt the tension rise. 'This can't be good.' Jamie thought. He could swore that there were electricity coming out of the two's irises as they glared, connecting at the middle and trying to push the other like a game of tag of war, only this one was pushing.
The two were eerily quiet and still for two minutes before sudden movements took over the two. Jackson fist-pumped the air while Jack slump his head down and slouched his shoulders in defeat. "You blink first!" Jackson announced, pointing a finger at Jack's way.
Jack rolled his eyes, "You just got lucky."
"Your eyes are already red, Jack. Just rest for the night." Jackson said, holding his brother by the shoulder, Jamie seconded the notion with a nod of his head.
The younger twin pouted. "Please?" Jackson added.
Jack sighed, "Fine."
Jamie and Jackson shared a look and smiled at Jack's way. "But I'm going by myself. I don't need to be escorted." Jack demanded, causing the two to smirk.
Hiccup took Toothless inside the stables, cracking his limbs as he entered their home. He found their home empty and dark, guessing that Gobber would be spending the night at the feast like he usually do during the fest.
He went to the kitchen, chopping and mincing the leftover vegetables and a piece of fish he found at their cupboards. He then proceeded to put water in a pot, dropped the ingredients, added seasoning then mixed them altogether until the aroma of newly-brewed broth seduced his nose and stomach.
Hiccup ate quietly, thinking whether Merida was still waiting for him by the finish line. He bid goodbye to Jacyn when he saw the road leading close to his house as an attempt to avoid the Princess from forcing him to dance and stay for the whole night's events. He was not up to dancing, not like he would ever be in the mood to do so…not when he only have one leg. It would be a surprise if he ever managed to even lift a little girl without worrying about falling down the ground.
He grabbed his bowl then gobbled the rest of the broth before standing up to clean it by the washboards. He cleansed his face and body right after, feeling the sweat from today's activity wash off from him. He threw his dirty clothes at a nearby rucksack, walking his way up to his room with only a towel on his waist.
Once he was inside his room, Hiccup trudged to his bedside table, lighting up a small lamp he made out of scrap metals with his crafty hands. He made his way to the shelf where he kept his clean clothes, scavenging for something to wear. It was quiet that night, considering that most townspeople were enjoying the fest's first night's event. It was even quieter at the blacksmith's house, given that it was only Hiccup inside it, so it was no wonder when Hiccup fleetly jumped up when he heard something banged behind him.
Hiccup quickly spun on his heel, resting his back at his shelf for support. "WHAT IN ODIN'S GHOST…!"
Odin's ghost, you say? :)
Thanks again for the continuous support, I appreciate it! Stay awesome, y'all. :D
This is pretty short compared to the last chapter. This one only contains 4,940 words. I promise the next chapter would be long and fluffy. XD
More of Jack, you say? Pfft, of course. I swear. Haha.
Blessing's to y'all. ^^
Edit: No proofreads, sorry for the errors. D: