"Are you sure you want to go to Auntie Julie's and not to your friend Ombric's?" Merida asked.
The three of them sat in the truck two days later. Hiccup and Jack had gotten off from work and Merida was skipping class. They were not even ten minutes away from the familiar forest. They were going back with the excuse that they had left their supplies, tent, and bags behind. That was their excuse if they came across any rangers.
"It's alright," Jack scratched his ear. "I mean, if Auntie Julie's cabin can do that to me, imagine what a town built on stardust would do?"
"Um… kill you if you inhale?" Hiccup offered.
Jack laughed. "Stardust is magic, Hiccup. I know it's a little hard for your scientific brain to wrap around, but it's true."
Merida was stubborn. She was going through the forest, even if it killed her. And, really, according to her, the chances were actually pretty slim. Mor'du used to have a specific haunt. Merida used to travel through all the time and had only been attacked there twice. There was a good chance they wouldn't come across him.
They parked and Toothless jumped out of the truck with them. Just because they were certain Mor'du wouldn't attack didn't mean they wouldn't bring a get-away dragon in the event they needed to run. And, somehow, Rapunzel brought up the idea that Toothless might be able to fight off Mor'du, since he was just a bear. Sophie groaned, saying that was her idea before, but it was an awful one which was why she didn't say anything. But, it wouldn't hurt to try, right? White-hot plasma blasts. A thick hide. Toothless would stand a pretty good chance against Mor'du.
The three rode Toothless to the cabin. Jack felt increasingly apprehensive. The last time he was in the cabin, he was rendered pretty useless. It would hurt to feel how many believers he would have. He was sure only four of them were actual children. And while a couple of adults believed who he was, he wouldn't actually get any power from them. It was the children's sense of wonder, not the adult's clarity that any of the Guardians gained power. Pure belief that seeing wasn't always believing. The belief in magic and that something so wonderful actually existed. It was the same reasoning why the belief from the children of Santoff Clausen had no effect on him. They had clear eyes.
So. Power from four children. Wonderful. Maybe they could get Auntie Julie to come outside.
Merida slid off of Toothless and followed the path to the door. There were a few more statues. Four of them were a mother bear and three cubs that inexplicably reminded Jack of Harris, Hamish, and Hubert. Hiccup curiously glanced over all of the wood carvings, having never been to visit the witch.
Merida knocked on the door. It flew open.
"Come in, come in! Customers?" the voice of an old woman welcomed them. Merida and Hiccup strode in easily. Jack stood at the threshold, frowning. He really didn't want to step in there. He could feel even more powerful magic working in the cabin than there was before
"Oh! It's you," Auntie Julie happily rounded a table to shake Merida's hand with both of hers. "Come back for a wood carving? They always do!"
"No, I—"
"Dear, come in, it's chilly." Jack cried out as he was pulled in by the front of his sweatshirt by an invisible force, the door slamming shut behind him. A chill washed over him instantly. "Oh, Jack Frost! I didn't even recognize you, what with being human and such. Sit, sit! Did you come for a purchase, too? Perhaps a new staff? You seem to have lost yours."
"No, thank you. We just came to ask some questions." Jack happily took her offer to sit as he felt his legs about to give out. There was a pair of eyes on him and he turned to Hiccup with a raised eyebrow. Green eyes were wide, his jaw had become slack. "Oh, good, you can really see me, too, then. I wasn't sure if you were just saying you could or not."
"You look so weird." Hiccup commented. Huh. He always thought his brown hair and golden brown eyes were weird. It was the first time he heard anyone say that Jack Frost was the one that looked weird. Well, he supposed it depended on how long someone knew him.
"You're a real looker yourself, champ." Jack snorted, turning back to Auntie Julie. "We're really glad you haven't moved."
"Why would I?" Auntie Julie asked, sanding the top of a carving of a pizza delivery truck. Which was weird because all of her other carvings were bears. Must have been a commission. "I've only just moved in about fifty years ago."
"Well, the only wizard I know that stays in one place is Ombric." Jack explained, feeling a buzz in his head. As he spoke, clouds came out in puffs. "Usually, you guys move around a lot."
"Yes, we do," Auntie Julie nodded. "Now, what did you young'uns need?"
"Maybe a name?" Jack asked. "Have you heard of Mor'du?"
"Oh, that wretched prince?" Auntie Julie huffed, turning her nose up. "That curse serves him right. What an awful man he was. There was no redemption for him, no sir." She shook her head. "You wouldn't belief how he treated his family. And he wanted to run the kingdom! Imagine if it fell into his hands? Chaos! The whole place would have fallen to ruin under his reign. Very lucky Marnie came to me when she did. There would have been too much blood shed for the kingdom to ever be peaceful again."
"Wait—!" Merida slammed her hands on the table, leaning across with excitement. "You're the witch that cursed him?!"
"Well, yes." Auntie Julie leaned back in shock.
"Oh, good." Jack sighed, holding his head, trying to focus. It was so hard to focus. He was seeing black spots. "How can we break the curse?"
"You can't." Auntie Julie said with a little too much chipper for the situation at hand.
"What?" Hiccup came forward. "But we need to break the curse!"
"I warned you about playing that flute," Auntie Julie shrugged, turning to throw some wood shavings into a cauldron. "Your fate has come back for you, young lady."
"You're saying her fate is for her and her family to get killed by a bear?!" Hiccup's anger was boiling to the surface. Sounded to Jack like these two had it. Oh, please, let them have it. He was finding it so hard to follow. What Auntie Julie said next was lost when the sound of a winter wind whispered in his ear, begging for him to return. There must have been a draft somewhere.
Just this year, Jack! We'll have fun, just like always! Please, Jack, we miss you! Play! Play! Play!
Tears stung his eyes. For a very long time, the winds were all he had for company. He missed them, just as he missed the Guardians. They were his friends, his playmates, his way of travel. He swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to focus on the task again. So much was calling for him. Places that begged for snow. A blizzard. Early winter. He dug his thumbnail into his palm and turned to Merida and Hiccup. They hadn't seemed to notice Jack checked out for a moment.
"Just… just me?" Merida crossed her arms uneasily. "Why just me?"
"First born in a long line, my dear." Auntie Julie explained in a not-so-helpful manner. "Anyway, you can't break the curse. Only Marnie could. And believe me, she tried. Just could not get close enough." The woman shook her head. "If you ask me, he deserved everything he got. Even if he was soft on her, he still did not treat her like one should treat a proper lady, let alone his princess."
"But… there has to be a way to break it!" Hiccup exclaimed.
"Or kill him," Merida added grimly.
"Will a dragon do the trick?" Jack asked tiredly. "With a curse that old?"
Auntie Julie chuckled. "You can try and kill him with a dragon. That one outside seems like he would be a worthy opponent." She crossed over to a bookcase. She skimmed along the shelves until she found was she was looking for. Pulling the book out, she blew dust of the cover and hefted it onto a mostly-cleared section of a worktable. "Or, you can try this." She muttered, flipping through the pages of the tome. She cried out "ah-ha!" when she found the passage she was looking for. "Let's see… 'A goblet made of moon dust washed in holy water blessed by the thirteen pope. Take the blood of a warrior, the blood of the cursed, and the blood of their enemy. All must be bled under the light of a harvest moon. With the blood, draw the following symbol. They must stand in the center and drink from the goblet a concoction of dittany, pond slime, and moondew on the night of a half moon.' Oh, and there's a specific recipe for the potion as well."
Jack, Merida, and Hiccup looked at each other. Even Jack, with his half-way-there state knew just how impossible breaking this curse would be. There would be no other choice but to slay this monster.
"Okay, how do we kill him?" Merida asked. "Take Toothless and let them duke it out?"
"Or a blade bathed in the blood of his most cherished and most despised." Auntie Julie suggested helpfully as she slammed the tome. "That should do the trick; quick and simple!"
Yeah, that seemed just as likely. Since his wife and brother were both dead. And Jack would rather not make anyone bleed when they didn't have to, thank you very much. He mentioned that curses involved a lot of gruesome details, didn't he? Yeah. Blood was almost always involved. And it didn't help that the curse was so old and had probably strengthened over time. He was certain the prince had lost himself to the beast that was Mor'du.
Jack sighed. "Thanks, Auntie Julie." He leaned forward, his muscles heavy and close to giving out entirely. "We'll take it from here." He reached into his pocket to fish out a handful of gold coins Susan had been unable to get rid of from his chest of artifacts. He set them on the table, letting her know that her information wasn't without thanks. Even if it didn't help them, it was useful.
He was half-carried outside by Hiccup. When the door opened, the winds bombarded him with plees for attention and games. One step over the threshold, and they were silenced. Once he reached Toothless, he slumped onto the dragon, so ready for a nap. He was glad he didn't look in the mirror. The winds were enough to depress him. Any more reminders, and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle it. He felt so weak. On any given day, Jack was happy to share about his life as Jack Frost. But face with being him, even temporarily, Jack didn't think he'd be able to take it. He missed everything about it.
Climbing onto Toothless, He was kept steady between Hiccup and Merida. He whispered an apology as the winds whistled around them during the flight back to the truck. This was the reason they took the truck in the first place, even though Toothless was faster. First, three people on the dragon's back was rather heavy, even if all of them weren't particularly bulky (some underweight for their size). But it wasn't good on Toothless's back. And second, because Jack demanded the heater be cranked up full blast because he was freezing. Wrapped in blanket, teeth chattering, shivering to the bone freezing. He laid in the truck across the bench seat while Hiccup, Merida, and Toothless went to actually fetch their belongings.
Jack hung back with the ignition on. Heat. Oh, glorious heat. Wait. Why was the cold suddenly bothering him? Jack frowned. That was new. Last winter, he didn't let the cold bother him. Sweatshirt, bare feet, rolled up jeans. He would be shivering and his teeth would be chattering, but he never paid it any mind. Why was it suddenly a problem?
Jack pondered this. He was left in deep thought, so when something slammed onto the hood of the engine, he yelled, sitting bolt upright. What the hell was that?! White pants and combat boots. Oh. Oh, that was so familiar. Jack pulled the keys out of the ignition as he climbed out of the truck to look at Cupid.
"What are you doing here?" Jack asked.
Cupid turned to him with a bright, excited smile. "Oh, it's getting exciting. One of my arrows is about to activate."
Jack's jaw dropped. "Please don't tell me this is Hiccup and Merida."
Cupid frowned. "Harald and Merida. I have not ever struck a Hiccup… what a strange name."
It took Jack a moment to remember Hiccup's real name was Harald. He scrambled to grab for the man. "Cupid, no!" Jack gripped his wrist. "Not right now. This is the worst possible time. See, there's this cursed man out there that's—"
"A bear, I know." Cupid grinned. "This is going to be exciting. Would you like to watch?"
"No!" Jack cried out. "What the hell is wrong with you?! This isn't some teen romance movie! This is the worst possible time you can—" He was cut short when Cupid's hand twisted in his to grab him by the forearm. He was pulled into the sky.
"Jack, do you really have something against what I do?" Cupid asked as they evened out. Jack felt his heart race. This was just like flying. He felt weightless and graceful. The winds were carrying him again.
He needed to stay on task. Not revel in the old times.
"No," Jack yelled over the roaring winds and the beating of Cupid's wings. "It's not that. It's just… how you execute it. Like this is all a game to you."
Cupid rolled his eyes. "Jack, do you know how many boring couples I pair daily?" Jack didn't respond. "Five-thousand is the average. Do you know how many people come together by exceptional means?" Jack frowned. "I'm lucky to have one a year. Your friend Jamie was boring. Your friend Rapunzel is going to be boring. I like to have fun sometimes, you know. Have you ever heard the saying 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'? I don't want to be dull Jack." Cupid gave him a sideways look. "I'd rather take lessons from the Guardian of Fun."
Jack wasn't quite sure what to say. He never thought Cupid would ever look up to him. Seriously, Jack was always the Immortal that was disregarded. By everyone. Nobody took him seriously and nobody wanted any part of him. At least, none of the ones that he had met. Even the first time he met Cupid, the bringer of love ignored him for the most part.
"'You're boring anyway.' Remember that, Jack?" Cupid asked. "It's what you said after our first encounter. As you were leaving. You probably did not think I heard you, but I did." Cupid smirked as he landed on a tree branch thick enough to hold Jack. Cupid's own weight would do nothing. Jack used Cupid to steady himself. Below him, Merida and Hiccup were laughing and fooling around as they were finishing up backing. "I went a little over-board at first with the fun." Cupid snickered. "But over the last fifty or so years, I cut back."
Jack didn't want to know just how many life-threatening, heart-break impending relationships were formed. "But… people's lives and emotional stability are at stake here."
"That's the risk when dealing with love." Cupid shrugged. "Humans put such a heavy weight on the feeling. They naturally bring it upon themselves."
"You're an asshole." Jack told him conversationally.
"How did you make a Guardian of Childhood?" Cupid chortled.
"I've wondered that since they shoved me in a sack."
The two of them watched Hiccup and Merida. Toothless hummed (though it sounded like a rumbled) contently as he made himself comfortable, flicking leaves into the air with his tail. The two caught a face full of dead leaves. They laughed at their misfortune, then Hiccup began picking leaves out of her hair.
"Hiccup's is already active, right?" Jack wanted to make certain.
"Harald's is." Cupid confirmed.
Jack opened his mouth to ask another question when a roar shattered the near-silence of the forest. Hiccup and Merida froze. Toothless stood at attention. Jack scrambled to climb down. He had to help them. He had to make sure they got to safety. The beast was right there. Jack yelped, grabbing onto the branches as Mor'du swiped down the lower branches, shaking the tree. Jack called out for them. They had to be safe. They had to get out of there, uninjured. There was no way to beat this freaking thing!
He watched as Hiccup and Merida mounted Toothless. They took to the air, not seeming to notice Jack there. Hiccup rounded Toothless on to Mor'du, having the dragon shoot fire and plasma blasts at the cursed man. His fur singed; he roared in pain. He made to scramble up another tree to reach the dragon.
It seemed to happen in slow motion. Hiccup glanced back at Merida before he pulled a hunting knife from it's place on his hip. The boy stood on the saddle, steadying himself on the reigns. Then… he jumped. He leapt from the dragon, landing on the back of the creature and stabbing down into the back of it's neck.
Jack thought (or hoped) that would have done the trick. But it only seemed to make the creature angrier. He threw Hiccup off of himself, making a horrible sound that sent a chill of fear down Jack's spine. Hiccup rolled back onto his feet. Toothless swooped in to distract Mor'du as Hiccup went in for another try. Toothless shot a blast to his face as Hiccup used a log to lift himself into the air and jump on Mor'du again. Another stab. Another terrifying howl.
Cupid dropped onto the branch with Jack. "Isn't this exciting?"
"NO!" Jack cried. "They're going to get killed!" Jack grabbed the man by his scalp, bringing him nose-to-nose with a very angry Jack Frost. Jack had never felt so terrified or mad. Cupid blinked, not in pain, but in shock. "Help me get him out of there." he growled. "Now."
"You know we can't interfere."
"I'm a Guardian." Jack gritted his teeth. He didn't need any rules or whatever these kinds of Immortals had or thought they had. "I'm supposed to interfere. Who do you think you are? A god?"
"Jack—"
Jack sighed, letting go of his hair. He took some deep breathes. "Look. It'll be… exciting." Jack smirked. "Fun. You won't just be watching from the sidelines."
Cupid considered it. Jack looked down to see Hiccup stab Mor'du in his good eye. The boy was covered in blood and Jack only hoped it was Mor'du's blood. Cupid seemed to come to an agreement. He lifted Jack without warning and swooped in to the scrawny boy that clung to the bear. Jack grabbed him by the arm as Cupid lifted them into the air.
Hiccup was shaking. He looked up at Jack, pale as a ghost. He didn't seem to really have any clue as to what happened and what was going on. When Toothless flew up to meet them, Jack dropped Hiccup onto the saddle with Merida.
"Jack, how are you—?" Merida's voice quivered.
"Long story." Jack looked at his free hand that was covered in blood. "Short story is: Cupid."
They flew back to the truck. Jack stood aside with Toothless and Cupid as Merida tended to Hiccup on the truck bed. She gently wiped blood from his face. He seemed to be in shock. Jack was surprised. Hiccup… little, scrawny Hiccup got up, close, and personal with Mor'du. A creature that could kill him with just a swipe of the claw.
Cupid smirked, satisfied. As he snapped, Merida leaned forward to place a kiss on Hiccup's forehead. Jack had never seen her so tender before. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in tight. Blood and all. Hiccup seemed to barely register it. His expression didn't change, though his arms snaked around her back to return the embrace.
"As a thank you, I want to meet Sophie."
"Go to hell, Cupid." Jack folded his arms.
"Fair is fair." the man snorted. "She can see me, right? I want to meet her."
Jack frowned. He walked up to Merida. She turned to him and looked around blindly. "Is Cupid still here?" she asked. He nodded.
"How's he doing?" Jack asked, climbing onto the bed of the truck with her. He looked to boy over. He didn't see any wounds or visibly broken limbs.
"He's just in shock," Merida deducted, brushing hair out of his face. "I can't believe he did that."
"Me, either…" Jack frowned.
Looking at the boy, Jack realized Hiccup was starting to look less like a boy. His hair was a few inches longer, swept to the side. He started braiding a piece of hair behind his ear. His chest even seemed slightly broader than it had a year ago. He was taller and his face thinned out. He seemed more muscular, possibly from all the stuns he and Toothless pulled. Don't get me wrong, he was still a scrawny twig. But he was clearly growing up.
Jack hadn't even noticed. In a year, the boy was beginning to become a man.
"We should take him home before Stoick closes shop," Merida suggested. "Get him cleaned up. Make sure he's alright."
Cupid cleared his throat. What a selfish jerk. Jack sighed. "You go ahead with Toothless." he placed Hiccup's keys in her hand. "I've got a cherub that won't leave me alone. Call me if there's any problems. Let me know when he snaps out of it, okay?"
Merida nodded. Jack helped her get Hiccup onto Toothless. He would have liked to request the dragon shoot at Cupid, but he was sure that would not go over so well. Jack made sure he had his phone on him and the doors of Hiccup's truck were locked before Cupid took off with him.
It was a mere flash and Jack stood with the Bringer of Love on their apartment doorsteps. He glared at the man who continued to smile pleasantly. Jack led him through the front door, up the steps, and into their room. Cupid had to squeeze his wings in tight to fit. Jack called into their home.
"Sophie!" he wondered if she was even home. She was. She poked her head around the kitchen door. His expression was one of clear annoyance. "Cupid wants to say hello."
Her big doe eyes widened as her mouth dropped. Cupid crossed over to her, taking her hand to kiss her knuckle. "Pleasure to meet you Sophie. You and Jack were my favorite love story." Cupid glanced at Jack amiably, then turned back to Sophie. "Until recently. No offense." he winked.
Sophie sputtered, looking him up and down. "Uh… hot chocolate?"
He flashed a grin. "Love some."
A/N: I'm so sorry, Hiccup, you punching bag, you. I like beating him up in particular for some reason. It's fun.
Anyway, Cupid's a jerk, but he honestly doesn't realize it. He's just doing his job. He's actually really airheaded. Over time, he just loses sight of everything else and just focuses on love, so the fact that people can die goes right over his head. In my fanfiction Technicolor Dreams, I have his backstory and such (Chapter 17 if you just want to skip to that xD). Also, him and Sophie become, like, best friends. He's also portrayed differently there. Not completely, but a little bit.
I think I'm making up for the lack of Merida in earlier chapters now. Merida's story is longest out of the three. Maybe. Rapunzel's shouldn't be too long.
I honestly don't think it was supposed to end like this but I guess I shouldn't write fanfiction punch drunk and you'll get a silly shippy chapter next. Then the final battle or Mor'du. I don't feel like going back to change it.