AN: Hello y'all! Sorry it's a day late, but better late than never, right? Anyways, I hope you're all ready for an intense chapter because WOW-WEE! This was really fun to write!
REVIEWERS!:
Noxi26: Hello! Unfortunately, yeah, you'll just need to keep reading to find those answers, however this chapter is launching us into the final act of this book so a lot of stuff is gonna go down! Hold on to your hats! ;)
Adaminaart: Aww, you're so sweet it makes me cry! Thank you! I'm so excited to see people so excited about Percy! Nice! Another Ravenclaw! I know a lot of Gryffindors and some Hufflepuffs, but I don't think I know any Slytherins, actually. It's interesting to me!
Acecove: Well, I mean, I'm glad. I never intended for anyone to like the man. Cool ideas! It kind of was a semi-transformation, but not a lot. Just his claws and eyes really. Haggar already knows Keith is half-Galra as he's been there much longer than Hiccup, and also this version of Voltron is post-war with the Galra with major canon divergence that I won't get very far into because there's no time, but it's pretty common knowledge that Keith is Galra. As for the Hiccup and Keith fighting? Unfortunately, that's a story for an Alternate Timeline, but perhaps in the future I can tease it at some point? Thank you for responding to my request for input on the Celebration! I've considered a sort-of mini series of one-shots before, though it might be hard to keep coming up with ideas and writing them out while also working on the series proper. It's definitely one of the main contestants, but I'll make the official announcement sometime within the next two weeks. :)
artemis-moon rise: Hello! Welcome and thank you! Hiccup's powers haven't been totally explained within the story, mostly because no one in the story understands them completely. More will be revealed as we go on, but Hiccup is powerful and shadow-travel isn't outside of the realm of possibility, though I can't make any promises that it will be featured. And no worries! I love seeing readers get excited and sharing their thoughts! :)
Eris: Even the word Hopeless has Hope in it! I'm still debating on what would be best, but an extra chapter was my first instinct. I'll make the official announcement sometime within the next two weeks. Maybe I should do a poll on tumblr? We'll see, but thanks for your input! :)
Music: "I'm Not Afraid" by Tommee Profitt (feat. Wondra)
NOTES: "Promise me you'll always remember that you are Braver than you believe, Stronger than you seem, and Smarter than you think."
Chapter 29: I'm Not Afraid
The roar of the crowd was deafening. People were cheering and screaming as a band played an exciting march. Each school chanted different mantras for their own champions as everyone got caught up in the rush of excitement for the Final Challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.
Rapunzel's hands were shaking and her stomach felt hollow as she looked out at the crowd from a walkway under the seating. The late evening sun cast long shadows across the yard that was set up for the event.
A hand on her shoulder caused Rapunzel to turned around, finding Merida smiling at her.
"You're gonna do great." She said confidently, giving a thumbs up as Rapunzel puffed out a breath.
"Thanks, Merida, I guess I'm just a little nervous." Rapunzel ducked her head, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear shyly.
"You've faced down a fairy in a broomstick chase, a giant sea monster, fire cats, and now you're nervous?" Jack's voice caught both girls' attention and they turned to see him approaching.
"Jack! What are you doing here? You should be with Emma!" Rapunzel said.
"What? And miss seeing you win the tournament? No way! Besides, Emma's sleeping and my Grandma is staying with her at the hospital. There's not much I can do there right now." Jack assured them.
"Did they ever find out what happened? It sounds so strange. I heard she disappeared for a while, and then she was suddenly stumbling around the train station, muttering nonsense." Merida spoke up, tilting her head curiously at Jack who shrugged helplessly.
"No one knows anything, and Emma was so out of it... They tested her for drugs or curses, but couldn't find anything. All we can do now is wait until she's feeling better and hopefully she'll be able to remember something." Jack said, shoving his free hand into his pocket and his other holding his staff in a light grip. "And what about Bunny and Sandy? I heard they left the Moor." Jack looked at Merida, and Rapunzel started and looked at her too. She hadn't heard anything about this.
"Aye, while you two were busy, North called us together. A distress call came from the Southern Isles; Pitch and his Nightmares have taken the main island." Merida explained in a hushed tone, casting a glance around as she spoke to make sure the other champions and the teachers weren't listening.
"What?" Rapunzel asked. "But why would he do that? The Southern Isles is such a small country, it doesn't make any sense to attack them."
"Does it matter? Pitch has been using Guerrilla War tactics all year, probably buying time until he can make his official move, but they had a confirmed sighting, so Bunny and Sandy went to see if they could chase him down. We're here to keep up appearances." Merida told them, giving a purposeful look towards the tunnel entrance where the crowds could be heard.
"This doesn't feel right. If Pitch really is there, we should all be there to fight him! There's no way Bunny and Sandy can take him on their own!" Jack ground his teeth together, gripping his staff tight in both hands in his frustration.
"Jack is right. I don't like this." Rapunzel agreed.
"And you think I do? Believe me, I wanted to go with them, too, but North is right that all of the Guardians suddenly rushing off at once would cause a panic. And there's a good chance this will turn out like all the other times; we go, Pitch isn't there, we fight a bunch of Nightmares, and we leave. It's better for us to stay here. Don't forget, Professor Sandman's a Sorcerer too. He can hold his own against Pitch." Merida reasoned, and neither of them could argue with the logic behind it.
"As much as I don't like it, Merida is right. The odds of this being another false alarm is really high. You should stay focused on the Final Challenge." Jack started slow, but then smirked at Rapunzel.
"That's right. Finish the tournament, and then we can track down North and the others to discuss what to do about Pitch." Merida nodded.
Rapunzel wanted to respond, but before she could, North stepped into the tunnel, ushering everyone together. He informed all of them that it was time to begin and had them line up to be presented to the crowd with Jim at the front and Rapunzel bringing up the rear. Jim stepped out into the crowd alongside Varvatos Vex and the crowd roared with excitement as the young boy waved nervously. Elsa followed behind alongside Hera and was met with the same rush of cheers. Rapunzel stepped up next to North and shared a look with the older man.
The Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts looked very worn and tired. He offered her a smile, but she could see the troubles lingering behind his eyes. She couldn't manage a smile in return, so she ended up looking up at him worriedly, biting her lip.
They both stepped out into the quickly dying burn of the sun, the noise that greeted them thundered in Rapunzel's ears like muffled waves crashing into the shore. She looked around to see everyone happy and thrilled to be there, but she couldn't help the sense of Danger in her stomach. Something felt Wrong.
North took his place at the podium and motioned for everyone to settle down, the loudness fading into silence fairly quickly. North looked around, pleased by all of the students who were eagerly awaiting the Final Challenge and the results of the tournament afterwards.
"Welcome to the Final Challenge!" North exclaimed, raising his arms out to the sides as the crowd roared in reply. Once it quiet down again, North continued. "It is my honor to present the representative of our gracious hosts here in the Great Moor; Queen Clarion of the Nature Fairies!"
As he stepped to the side, glowing lights flew through the air, buzzing together into a bright cluster that reformed and burst, revealing the magnificent figure of Queen Clarion, a fairy with large, golden wings and clothed in what looked like a gown of pixie dust. The regal queen smiled and nodded to North before taking a step forward to stand at the podium.
"Hello and welcome to all!" She greeted, receiving cheers in response. "It is my honor and privilege to act as the representative for the many species and cultures here in the Great Moor! This Final Challenge, as is tradition, will take place within the Great Maze. Earlier today the Tri-Wizard Cup was placed within the maze, and only a select few know it's exact location. The goal of this Challenge will be to locate the Cup. The first Champion to grab hold of the Cup will be named the victor of the Tournament!" Queen Clarion paused to allow everyone a moment of excitement before continuing. "Now, as Princess Rapunzel is currently in first place, she will enter the maze first, followed by James Lake Jr. and then Queen Elsa." Queen Clarion announced. "Officials for the tournament will be patrolling the perimeter of the Maze; should, at any point, a contestant wish to withdraw from the task, he or she need only to send up red sparks with their wand. Now, contestants, if you would please gather round." Queen Clarion turned around, looking at each of the three Champions as they stepped forward.
Rapunzel watched as the fairy Queen stepped towards them, closing in their small circle and speaking lowly so that no one else would hear what she had to say to them.
"Be warned, Champions," She said, "In the Maze you won't find fearsome creatures or deceitful traps, instead you will face something even more challenging. You see, people change in the Maze. Find the Cup if you can, but be aware that in this Maze you may very well lose yourselves along the way. Or perhaps, with a strong enough will, you'll find yourselves." The Queen's cryptic advice sent a shiver down Rapunzel's spine and she swallowed thickly. "Prepare yourselves, Champions!" She declared loud enough for everyone to hear.
They parted for her as she passed by them, heading over to stand beside North and her fellow Fairy Queen, Toothiana. The noise and the band started all over again, filling the air. Rapunzel looked over towards the tunnel she entered from to find Merida and Jack giving her encouraging smiles and a thumbs up. She looked a little more up towards the Hogwarts section of the seats and almost immediately spotted Eugene in the front row, grinning at her. Rapunzel nodded to them all, and then turned to stand before the entrance of the Maze. The long, dark pathway awaiting her with an ominous fog.
Rapunzel's heart was pounding in her ears, and she could barely hear the crowd. She was vaguely aware of Queen Clarion leading a count-down from three, and when she reached one there was a loud blast of canon fire, that acted as a jump-start to Rapunzel's body which started moving on it's own. She shakily stepped into the Maze, slowly crossing over the threshold.
Once she was a few steps within the Maze, she looked back at the fading sunlight and the excited crowd of all her friends cheering for her. The bushes moved and shifted, closing in until they completely blocked off the entrance to the Maze. All of the noise seemed to vanish, leaving Rapunzel in absolute silence except for her own breathing. There was no sunlight in the Maze, only a thick fog that she knew would confuse her and leave her unable to tell what direction she was going.
Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel forced herself to remain calm. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the parchment with the clue she'd received from the last task. Unrolling it, she found that same squiggly line that didn't mean anything to her, but once she held it out in front of her, the line came to life. It move about the page like a tiny snake, swirling in a small circle, and then shooting into a very straight line with one ninety-degree angle to the left at the very end.
It was a map.
Rapunzel released a breath, relieved that she had some sort of guidance through this place, even if it was only one small part at a time. She started following the line's directions, walking forward and watching as the line grew shorter and shorter with her movements. She passed two openings, one on her left and the other on her right, and then at the third opening she turned left and walked a couple paces. When she reached the end of the line's first instructions it turned into a little dot on the page and then did another little dance across the page before creating another bit of instruction for her.
If she just kept following this line and didn't let herself get distracted or turned around by the maze, Rapunzel was certain it would guide her through. Keeping this in mind, Rapunzel kept on marching through the Maze, trying her best to ignore the very loud silence that pressed in around her.
The whistle of the wind, the rustling of the plants, the distant chirps and chitterings of animals, and her own breathing and pounding heart. Noise clogged her ears, and she wondered why her palms were so sweaty. Why her stomach churned uncomfortably.
She shook the thoughts away. "Steady Rapunzel." She reminded herself. "Just stay focused on that line and keep moving forward." She knew the fog was not just a physical way of confusing them, but that it would also enter their minds if they allowed it the space to get in.
A scream split the air, and Rapunzel's head shot up in the direction in came from. It was Jim, no doubt. Her mind went back to their discussion on the train and worry pooled in her chest. She took a step towards where the sound had come from, but stopped herself and looked down at the line. It was shaking, warning her that she was straying from the path.
Rapunzel took another deep breath. There was armed security and proctors surrounding the Maze. Nothing that wasn't a part of the tournament would be able to get to Jim here, right? She just had to stay focused.
She turned back the way she'd been facing, but before she could start walking again, the hedges began to move and shift again. Suddenly the pathway was closing in on itself, rushing towards Rapunzel with lashing branches and vines that reached out to grab at her. Rapunzel stumbled backwards, and then turned and started running in the other direction. The hedges were closing in around her, swiping at her back and vines grabbing at her arms and ankles. She raced and wriggled to get out of the bushes and just barely managed to get out at the very end of the path where the bushes stopped caving inward.
Rapunzel bent forward, panting and looking at the path that was no closed to her. She really should have known it wasn't going to be that easy. She went to look at the map, but realized it wasn't in her hands.
"No!" She shouted, looking back at the bushes. She must have dropped it by accident while trying to escape. She clenching her teeth and kicked a bit of dirt at the bushes, annoyed by the set back, but she quickly reigned herself in. "Okay, it's a minor set back, but don't worry! You've got this! Just find a path that goes in that direction, and hopefully the Cup isn't much farther." She told herself.
She looked right and left, the fog looking eerie and oppressive on both sides of her. She went left, figuring it was no use going back the way she'd come from, and slowly started walking through the fog. With no map to stay focused on, she kept her attention fixed on counting her steps. That way, if she lost her way, she could find her way back. Hopefully.
"Rapunzel..." Her head snapped up at the whisper, and she looked all around, carefully scanning her surroundings. "Rapunzel..."
"Who's there?" She demanded, drawing her wand and glaring into the shadows as she took on a fighting stance.
"Rapunzel..." She twisted around and there, in the middle of the path about a yard away, was a young boy. Messy auburn hair and green eyes...
"Hiccup?" Rapunzel whispered, her wand slowly lowering to her side as she looked at the small figure. He turned and walked off to the right, leaving Rapunzel's view, and her heart leaped into her throat as she started running towards him. "Wait!" She cried.
The Maze was dark and cold and damp. The fog swirled as Rapunzel raced down the path, trying to find the boy, but when she finally turned the corner, there was no one there. Rapunzel looked all around her, but she was the only one there.
"Rapunzel..." She looked down the path again and there he was again! He was closer this time. The familiar mess of hair and bright green eyes, but it wasn't right. Rapunzel gasped and stumbled backwards, staring at Hiccup. He was drenched in blood from head to foot, his hair plastered with it, his robes hanging limp and weighted, his eyes full of tears.
"Hiccup," Rapunzel's voice shook as she felt her own eyes welling up and bile rise in her throat.
"Why didn't you save me, Rapunzel?" Hiccup asked, his voice sounding strange. Like it was mixed with several other voices. But he looked so Real.
"I -I didn't know, I..." Rapunzel stuttered, her chest rising and falling sharply as she lost control of her breathing. "Hiccup, I'm so sorry." Tears dripped from her eyes just like the blood that dripped from his fingertips.
"Why didn't you help me? Why did I have to die alone?" Hiccup asked, his distorted voice becoming deeper and angrier with a snarl breaking into his speech at the end. "You abandoned me!"
"No! Hiccup, please, I never wanted any of this to happen!" Rapunzel said. "I never wanted to lose you! I never wanted things to change!"
"You're too naive." Hiccup growled at her, and Rapunzel flinched back. "Change is inevitable," His voice got even deeper, completely distorted into something unfamiliar as his skin turned gray and his eyes turned a glowing yellow, just like Pitch's. "You cannot overcome your regret." The shadow shifted and changed into a shapeless, black creature that shrieked and charged at Rapunzel.
"Stop!" Rapunzel screamed, throwing her arms in front of her face. In that instant, everything slowed. A cool feeling spread through her whole body; not the pressing and chilling cold of the Maze, but the feeling of a cool breeze on a hot day. Her lungs expanded, Freedom and Space opening up her chest and easing the squeezing on her heart.
A high-pitched whistle and a flash of yellow light filled her consumed her sight and hearing along with the sound of large wings fluttering.
There was a shriek and when Rapunzel opened her eyes, the shadow was gone. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath as sobs shook her body. She pressed her hands into the earth, grabbing fistfuls of grass as she grew more and more angry at herself. After all this time, she was still the same weak and naive little girl in a tower. What was she thinking? How could she possibly be a Champion Wizard, let alone a Guardian?
The coolness returned, more gently this time, and a light glow made Rapunzel raise her head. A small ball of yellow light floated right in front of her, giving off that wonderful feeling. A breeze whispered through her hair and on it she heard the distant laughter of children. A wet laugh burst from her chest and she sniffed, carefully raising her hands to cup the little light close to her. It slowly faded, seeping over her hands like a coating before disappearing, and Rapunzel stared at her hands. She found she wasn't surprised, but her heart ached in a good way.
Even though he was gone, Hiccup was still with her. Still trying to help her.
Not just Hiccup. Jack and Merida. Eugene, Cassandra, and all of her friends at Hogwarts. They all believed in her. Time after time she had proven herself capable, and yet here she was, letting one little shadow trick her into thinking she wasn't strong. But she was. She was strong, and she would not let the shadows scare her.
"I'm not afraid." She muttered to herself, closing her hands into fists and taking a deep breath to center herself again. She pushed herself up onto her feet and stood tall, lifting her chin. "I Am Not Afraid!" Rapunzel said, facing the darkness.
She was ready for it.
She squinted a bit as she noticed a small, blue glow flickering in the distance. She took a couple of steps forward, still trying to figure out what it was, but then she grinned. She started running towards it, excitement rushing through her veins. As she was running though, roots began to break out of the ground, grabbing at her ankles and legs, trying to pull her down. Rapunzel shot a deflective spell at them, to knock them away as she kept running, but a sudden gust of wind blowing up the pathway alerted her to the fact that this pathway was now collapsing as well.
Rapunzel turned and sprinted for the light at the end of the path. There were no turns, nowhere else to go but towards that light, so she just kept pushing herself faster, faster, faster! Branches whipped her arms and face, vines and roots tried to grab at her, but she kept fighting them off, ripping herself free.
As she got close to the end of the pathway, Rapunzel threw herself into the clearing at the end, leaping the final distance and dropping onto her hands and knees as she gasped in relief. Her lungs burned and her hands were shaking, but she was grinning so wide her cheeks were hurting because there, right in the center of the clearing, was the Tri-Wizard Cup.
Rapunzel looked to her left as Elsa appeared through another entrance, and then she looked to her left as Jim stumbled in, looking a little ruffled but overall okay. Rapunzel rose to her feet and they all looked at the Cup, but Rapunzel noticed a strange bridge stood on the other side of the clearing and it filled her with a sense of Danger.
She slowly drew her wand as she also noticed that Elsa seemed to notice it too, and Jim looked pale.
"I don't like the feel of this," Elsa said, her wand at the ready as she eyed the shadows and the Cup suspiciously.
"That's Killahead Bridge," Jim said, but Rapunzel wasn't sure if he was talking to them or himself. Still, he'd caught both their attention.
"Killahead Bridge? As in, the magical portal to the Darklands where evil trolls live?" Elsa asked, and Jim gulped visibly.
"Right you are!" The fourth voice made them all jump and look at it's source. Rapunzel recognized the man as one of the Durmstrang Professors. He was tall and thin, wearing nice but casual brown robes. His smirk held something sinister.
"Strickler." Jim growled, and Rapunzel glance at him in surprise.
"Surprised, Young Atlas?" Professor Strickler's grin widened as Jim's frown deepened.
"Expelliarmus!" Jim shouted. Caught by surprise, Strickler was thrown backwards and hit the ground hard as Jim took a few steps forward and took a fighting stance against the teacher.
"Jim!" Rapunzel sputtered.
"You just attacked a teacher!" Elsa gasped.
"You can thank me later!" He quipped back at them.
Strickler growled as he caught back to his feet, wiping his jaw with the back of his hand as he glowered at Jim Lake Jr. "You'll regret that, Young Atlas."
Just as the words left his mouth, earth-shaking footsteps caused Rapunzel to turn. She looked up, terror flashing through her, as she came face-to-face with the beast who had nearly killed Eugene at the Ministry of Magic. The Troll snarled at her, but his eyes glinted with a sick sort of excitement as a little bit of drool dripped down his chin.
"Bular!" Jim looked terrified at the sight of the massive Troll, but he was caught between focusing on the giant beast and the teacher whose allegiance was now questionable at best.
"You won't escape Trollhunter! Tonight we will open Killahead Bridge and release my father! The Trolls will take back the surface!" Bular shouted, his grating voice thundering in Rapunzel's ears and making her wince.
"Only after you hold up your end of the bargain." The calm, but chilling voice echoed through the clearing, and Rapunzel slowly turned her head up to the top of the bridge where Pitch Black stood with his hands neatly folded behind his back. On his right was Gothel, his face half-shrouded by the hood of her cloak.
"Pitch Black," Elsa said, glaring up at him as her fists clenched at her sides.
"Hello, dear Champions!" Pitch greeted them, placing his hands on the stone railing of the bridge. "Rapunzel, I believe you've already met my newest associate, Bular the Vicious. However this time I'm afraid you won't have that fool Kanjigar to come and save you. All you have now is a little boy playing Knight." Pitch chuckled, turning his wicked eyes on Jim who shifted on his feet. He wasn't phased, but he was scared.
"What do you want?" Rapunzel demanded, stepping forward to stand beside Jim and placing a hand on his shoulder in the hopes of helping to ground him.
"Isn't it obvious." Pitch smiled blissfully as he held his arms out wide. "What better way to start a War than taking away one of the main sources of Light in the Magical World?" Pitch stretched one hand out towards the horizon, the Temple of Light, and then closed his fist tight as if he was imagining it was actually in the palm of his hand. "Once I've taken the Moor, the Guardians will weaken and I'll grow even stronger! And with an army of Gumm-Gumms on my side, who is there to stop me? The Human Trollhunter?" Pitch cackled again at his own joke.
"What is he talking about?" Rapunzel muttered out of the side of her mouth at Jim. She had no idea what was happening between Jim and all these Trolls. She vaguely remembered North telling them the Trollhunter was sort of a Guardian for Trolls, but he didn't go in-depth on it.
"It's a long story," Jim replied with a wince.
"I'm sure it will be a great story to hear after we somehow manage to survive this." Elsa cut in, frost already coating her hands and wand.
"Right, get ready you two." Rapunzel told them, raising her wand as well.
"For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is Mine to Command!" Jim announced and with a blinding flash of blue light, he was suddenly encased in a set of glowing blue armor that Rapunzel recognized from the same night she'd faced Bular. Out of nowhere, a giant sword materialized into Jim's hand and he held it at a guard position with practiced ease.
"Do you really think you can win this fight? You're out of your league, children." Pitch's yellowed and pointed teeth glinted in the moonlight, but Rapunzel didn't let it shake her. She shoved away the fear that wanted to claw up her spine and lifted her chin.
"I Am Not Afraid of You!" She shouted back at him, and Pitch drew back a bit in surprise before scowling at her.
"Very well then, I see I'll have to teach you just how Terrified you should be!" Pitch growled as Nightmares began to appear from the shadows on the edges of the clearing. "Take them!"
The Nightmares attacked.