Chapter Seventeen:

Merida's eyes snapped open, and her vision cleared all at once. Suddenly, she could see out of both eyes, everything was brighter, and everything felt very, very wrong.

"Meri?" A voice asked in front of her. Merida looked down - just as Hiccup gave her a lopsided smile and collapsed to the ground.

"No!" She shrieked, looking up. The ground around her was scorched and empty, and there were only a few other people scattered around. She recognized Jack and Rapunzel, but not the others. "No, no, no!"

Merida sank to the ground, grabbing Hiccup as tears started to leak out of her eyes. Hiccup grinned again and hugged her back, mumbling reassuring words as she cried.

"Merida!" Rapunzel screamed, running forwards. Her shoes had burned off, leaving her barefoot, and the bottom of her dress was messy and tattered. Jack touched down to the ground next to the others, concern etched across his face.

Hiccup's head lolled back as his burns got to him, leaving Merida still holding his unconscious body. She looked up at Rapunzel, tears still spilling from her eyes as the blonde reached for her hair and sunk to her knees. Jack pulled Merida back, ignoring how hot her skin still was, and hugged her close as their family struggled to stay together for the second time that night.

"You four are welcome here as long as you like," Bunny had said when the motley group of guardians and seasons arrived in the Warren. North had carried a still unconscious Hiccup into a room with Jack and Bunny closely following. Toothiana quickly showed Rapunzel and Merida to their room before the blonde and Jack hurried back to the others.

Merida stayed in her room alone. She barely moved from her bed, instead lying curled up on the bed in a daze. Rapunzel came back a few hours later, gave her a slight rub on the back before going to sleep herself.

Rapunzel had been trying to heal Hiccup since she'd first reached him. The burns weren't normal - laced with both seasonal and dark magic - and she had to heal them all separately. So far, she'd finished all but the worst one on his leg. Gods, that burn spanned from toe to knee, a black twisting mess of evil that made Rapunzel feel sick.

She'd tried for a whole hour, but nothing. It was like the burn was angry with her, and it was trying to turn the rest of him dark. Rapunzel feared if she didn't stop the spread soon, they'd lose him to the darkness.

Rapunzel groaned, leaning back into the mattress and rolled over. To her right, Merida's soft breathing reminded her of the day's events. Finally, the four of them were back together, and they'd even found the last season! Merida was certainly Summer - but until Hiccup was healed, there would be no chance of saving Kozmotis.

Merida woke to screaming.

She lurched up, eyes wide as they shot to the door. She ran out of the room, feet thudding against the smooth stone floor as she followed the sound. Finally, she burst through the door to Hiccup and Jack's room, where the guardians and Rapunzel surrounded him on the bed.

Hiccup was screaming as Tooth and North held his arms and legs down. Sandy sat above his head, using Dreamsand to keep him knocked out while Bunny sat by his injured leg - positions to amputate it. Rapunzel was trying one last time to heal his leg before they cut it off.

"No!" Merida screamed, lunging forwards, Jack suddenly appeared behind her, holding her arms back as Bunny raised his hand. "No!"

Bunny brought the blade down, and Rapunzel leapt into action. Hiccup screamed again through his hazy sleep, and tears streamed down Merida's face.

Rapunzel let out a sigh of relief after finishing the song. Despite missing a leg, the dark burns were now completely gone.

"You've all had six weeks to heal, to train," North said to the four young spirits. "Now, I think it's time to tell you about… prophecy,"

"Wot prophecy?" Merida asked. Her curls had been pulled into a thick ponytail at the back of her neck, which was slick with sweat from her training. She'd abandoned her Bear Queen clothes for a looser and thinner set of pants and a sleeveless top. Most of her training had been in controlling and conjuring her fires.

"Oh… this," Hiccup muttered. After removing his leg, he'd been training to use his new prosthetic, but he still needed a crutch most of the time. Luckily, his wind abilities made moving around less painful.

"You knew?" The redhead asked, only to be met with three nods. "You all knew?"

"The prophecy was written a long time ago," Tooth explained. "It talks about four seasonal spirits who will save us from the Nightmare King,"

"The Nightmare King?" Jack asked. "Who's that?"

"Kozmotis," Rapunzel replied. "He became the Nightmare King when he left us, and his transformation triggered ours,"

"Yes," Bunny nodded. "And you four are the ones to turn him back,"

"Why us?" Hiccup asked. "I mean, I know the prophecy, but I don't understand why it has to be us,"

"You four are the seasons… and guardians," Tooth said. "The seasonal guardians are extremely powerful, and they protect more than just children. They protect the balance of the world in whole,"

"Spring, Winter, Fall and Summer," Bunny added. "That's the order they were supposed to be found, which matches the order Pit- Kozmotis, found you,"

"This is prophecy," North said, gesturing to a page in his book and presenting it to the others.

two by two, four seasons come

to save the lost and darkened one

one of spring with eyes of green

next of cold, the winter-light gleam

third with dragon-winds fall

and summer's daughter fire-ghost call

from light to dark to light again

with only four shall moonbeam win

once separate but together bring

to save the one, the nightmare king

"Two by two?" Rapunzel asked. "We were found one at a time,"

"Two boys, two girls," North said. "And two… pairs,"

A collective blush spread across the four seasons faces.

"Kozmotis is the lost and darkened one," Tooth said, quickly translating for Sandy. "He was lost when he abandoned his post to go after the lifesand, and he was darkened when he broke out of prison, which turned you four,"

"Spring with eyes of green…" Rapunzel read. "That's me, isn't it?"

"Yes, you're spring," North said. "Spring and earth,"

"So I'm cold," Jack said. "The… winter-light?"

"Winter and water,"

"Toothless and I are the dragon-wind fall," Hiccup assumed. "Makes me autumn and air then?"

North nodded. "Which makes Merida…"

"Summers daughter," The redhead breathed. "And… the fire-ghost?"

"Those little blue ghosts!" Rapunzel said. "They looked like tiny fires!"

"The wisps," Merida muttered. "Ah've seen 'em since ah was little,"

"Really?" North asked, surprised. "But they only ever appeared to the Wisp Queen,"

"That's why Ah never told anyone," Merida said. "Kozmotis never believed me, always thought ah was lying to make up for mah lack of magic,"

"But you do have magic," Rapunzel said comfortingly. "You're the summer spirit,"

"Ah wasnae then,"

"Either way, that makes both summers daughter and fire-ghost," Bunny interrupted. "Sheila, you may be the new Wisp Queen, as well as the summer spirit,"

"Is that even possible?" Merida asked.

"Very possible," North said. "You are Wisp Queen,"

"But the more important problem is still Kozmotis," Bunny said, crossing his arms. "He's wrecking havoc all over the world - especially now that you four have pulled back. You've given him full reign!"

"We have to stop him." Hiccup said. "He saved us, we have to save him,"

He looked around the room, meeting eyes with the guardians and the other seasons. Jack, Rapunzel and Merida nodded.

"Now," Jack said, looking up a map of the earth. "Where do we even start?"

Authors Note: AHHH we're so close to the end! Just the final battle and epilogue! I hope you've all been enjoying the end of this traditional big four story - and that you're ready for some more unique ones!

As you know, I'll post the ten chapter 'Lionhearted' next. That's a voltron au.

Then, I just finished the Omega Project! It'll go through proofreading (to catch dumb mistakes) and I'll start posting it. It is 45 chapters long, and I'll be real - it'll take up most of 2022 to post if I stick to my weekly chapter schedule. That feels so weird - one story for a whole year?!

I'm also trying to figure out which story to start next. I'd love to do the OUAT one, but I need to rewatch the first season and I don't have time for that yet. Same with the pirate one - theres a lot of background research I need to continue. So I think the next will probably be New Dreams (modern) or Sunmoone Saga (fantasy). I also haven't decided if I want to make the SS a multi story thing or just one big fic. Maybe I'll do both - post each part and then one huge one? Let me know what you think!