Chapter Seven:
Merida growled and swatted at her desk, sending papers and books thumping to the ground. She glared down at the large map in front of her, pulling out a thin dagged and stabbing it into the paper and wood below - landing on a spot in the Northern Mountains.
The Frost King's Castle.
It had taken her years to worm her way into Dunbroch, become well known as a local spirit and finally get access to the royal family - and that was before she'd usurped their throne. For the Frost King… all he had to do was freeze a few towns.
She hated him.
Hiccup was stupidly loyal to her and her alone, something she supposed should be appreciated. Merida wasn't stupid - there was definitly another reason the young spirit had stayed by her side so long. Whether he intended to usurp her with the dragons or hide behind her power… that she didn't know.
"Milady, the village has been handled,"
Speak of the devil.
"They won't bother you again… not with a group of Monstrous Nightmares patrolling their borders," Hiccup finished, smiling smugly. "Now, is there anything else?"
"No Hiccup." Merida grumbled, staring daggers into the map. "Do whatever you- wait."
Hiccup waited, and Merida traced a finger around the area she'd marked - Jack's unknown location.
Reaching up to adjust the broken crown on her head, Merida looked at the Dragon Conqueror.
"Ah want a fly-by," She said. "Ah need you to find the Frost King's hide-a-way,"
Hiccup broke out into a devious looking smile.
The herd of Fearlings had expanded to more of the mountain range, much to Jack's delight. It was more fun to watch them running around rather than direct them himself.
He spent his days traveling from town to town, making sure the villagers remembered to pay penance for him. Usually that meant trinkets or wealth, but Jack wasn't picky.
He'd taken to creating an icy crown for those visits. Coupled with a smile, he seemed almost… approachable, but all that went away quickly, as he switched from apathetic to furious in a moment.
His spies had alerted him that the Bear Queen's consort, the Dragon Conqueror, had been spotted. Either way, the dragon spirits maps were off - he was about two hundred miles east of Jack's fortress.
Jack had no doubt that the Bear Queen was shaking with anger, and that made him laugh.
But as much as Jack enjoyed his daily rituals, he still felt lost. Like he was searching for something - someone.
The Bear Queen - as annoying and ugly as she was - had a right hand man. Jack thought he was way more interesting and powerful than some stupid powerless spirit, and yet, nobody helped him.
So, Jack watched the Fearlings play, tried to make other servants out of snow - failed miserably - and remained lonely.
Hiccup had returned empty handed for the fifth time. It was clearly getting to the spirit, and he wasn't so meaninglessly polite to Merida anymore, instead choosing to snap and send out more dragon patrols.
Besides Toothless, who had become a constant shadow to the rider, a deadly looking crown of Adderworm and Fireworm dragons curled around his head. He used the deadly little lizards to interrogate people, as well as burn any of the Frost King's snow spies.
Either way, Hiccup was out of the castle more and more.
Merida didn't mind. In fact, the Bear Queen hardly noticed her luitentiants absence. She still spent an inordinate amount of time poring over old tomes and maps. It seemed her research would never amount to anything, but the spirit knew it would pay off.
She'd always heard the whispers when she was out in the woods. Sometimes, she thought she could remember tiny blue puffs of smoke and flame that visited her, but nobody else could tell her what they were. But Merida knew that they were powerful, but what she could do with that power… that was unknown.
Currently, she was out in the woods outside her castle, searching for more clues.
The forest was dark and imposing, but Merida enlisted Mor'du (her most loyal servant, after Hiccup) to tear through the low hanging branches and underbrush.
Still wearing her crown over her unruly hair, Merida had abandoned her wartime dresses for something easier to navigate the woods in. Now, she wore a pair of tight pants and boots, with a billowing shirt and a warm bearskin around her shoulders. A variety of weapons had been secured to her body, but Merida would hardly need them. As she followed Mor'du, the Bear Queen was still pouring over her maps, making sure they were headed in the right place.
The Lost Kingdom.
It was an old story in Dunbroch lore. Merida was pretty sure Mor'du had once been at the kingdom, as the demon bears seemed to know exactly where they were going. It had been said that this kingdom had been a spiritual gateway for the land, full of magic and gifts.
Which meant that she'd be able to use the magic of the site to control and harness the Will'o'Wisp's.
And with that power… she couldn't wait to tear everything the Frost King had ever worked for apart.
It was a long journey, but would have taken longer had both the bear and queen hadn't known where they were going, and so, as dusk was starting to set across the sky, Mor'du and Merida reached the ruins of the ancient kingdom's castle.
Merida grinned a little as she dismissed the bear to guard the outside. Then, she worked her way into the remains of the great hall, pulling out her books and a pack of candles.
The ritual went late into the night, and the moon had reached its peak when the Bear Queen finished her spell. And with a loud whoosh and as the wind picked up, Merida grinned again.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Merida's grin grew wider as a series of tiny blue ghosts popped into existence around the circle of candles she'd set up. The wisps shrieked - their whispers growing louder and quicker - as they were forced into her view.
More wisps kept popping into the circle, filling it almost to the brim, and Merida's smile grew wider.
Yes. This is exactly what she wanted.
There was a growing map on the floor of his castle. He'd created it when the villages had started getting to be too much to handle.
The Bear Queen hadn't retaliated when the frost armies took Ceridwen and Brigiton. Jack had been expecting a reaction - but nothing. That left him stewing in his own icy cages for a week.
Of course, her little Dragon Conquering sidekick sent those fire breathing lizards after him. They'd actually found his fortress this time, and melted half of the towers before Jack had taken their wings out.
He'd watched that smug little rider fly away and promised to tear his wings off.
That made two of her lackeys to dispatch before he actually fought her. Once Mor'du and the Dragon Boy were finished with, Jack figured the queen herself wasn't much of a fighter. Why would she need the other two if she was?
Her castle was a weak point too. Although many of the villagers who had once surrounded Castle Dunbroch had run when the new spirit queen settled in, those who stayed would get in the way for both dragons and fearlings. Both the lizards and sand horses were easily distracted by humans - easier targets.
Jack rolled his eyes and stormed away from the window, heading for the dungeons.
Built deep into the mountain, the dungeons were even colder than the rest of the fortress. It was messier too - he hadn't put as much effort into crafting this part. The cells were small and cramped, with icy sharks that broke out of the walls into the space, restricting it more. The ice down here was dark, sucking out any of the light that managed to peek through, and Jack's prisoners were guarded by fearlings.
He was currently keeping a few of the dragons who'd invaded him. He needed to figure out their weak spots before the Bear Queen came back.
He slammed the door open and went downstairs, the icy steps cracking ominously as his feet touched them. The snow monster guarding the door melted back into the ice as his master passed, reappearing once the Frost King disappeared through the doorway.
The dungeon the dragons were held in was almost a large hollowed out cave. Long spikes of ice kept the dragons separated, and muzzles of ice kept them from breathing fire to melt the castle's foundations.
The fearlings patrolling the edge of the prison started to get antsy, obviously excited at what their king had in store.
Jack stood in the middle of the room, scanning the cells for his first victim. What dragon should he start with…?
He was interrupted by a loud thump. Jerking his head to the side, Jack was faced with a small Typhoomerang - a baby dragon. It's once bright orange scales had gone a bit lackluster in the cold, and the ice wrapped around his snout turned it blue.
"You." Jack snarled, removing the bars and using ice to drag the small dragon closer. The typhoomerang fought against the icy chains, trying to pull away. The chains pulled the dragon to the center of the room, then pulled its wings back, securing all four limbs to the ground, rendering it helpless.
"If any of you can somehow tell your master what you're seeing," He continued, addressing the dragons. "You can tell him that this is his fault! Because for a spirit of betrayal, he's way too damn loyal to that Bear Bitch!"
Jack let his ice spikes fly, and the dragon's screams echoed throughout the cells.
Authors Note: This is a day late but only because I moved into my college dorm yesterday! Things a definitely going to get a little busy for a while, but I don't think I'll have to stop posting. Maybe just a chapter a day late or so once in a while.
Also: I made a bunch of aesthetic reels in Instagram for the Sunmoone Saga. I'll start posting them soon, so I guess if anybody wants to see them, look up the hashtag #sunmoonesaga
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and review if you want to, I always love getting them!