Hello, my loyal readers. I want to start by giving you all the nowadays meaningful dose of "stay safe".

Next week is my birthday, and it's not like there's ever been a big celebrating that because I share birthday with my aunt and her birthdays have always overshadowed mine. Don't pity me! Send love to all the people who should have had a great party to celebrate the milestones of turning 10,18, 20 and 25 and so on! Damn you Corona!

Malin; Corona? What, you want a beer?

Me; Oh, shut up, that got old fast!

Closing the gap

Three to four days. That's how long North anticipated it would take him to get to his son through the snowy mountains. He had prepared well since Stoick's visit and packed food supposed to feed both himself and Jack when they were on their way back. He had warm clothes for them both and there was enough snow around that water wouldn't be a problem.

The winter landscape had always been difficult to traverse, but this was the climate North had been born into. The skis under his feet were familiar and worn in and the workout would keep him warm even though his beard was already starting to grow heavy with frost.

The only worry were the overhanging clouds. North didn't want to set up camp due to bad weather, but the clouds also meant warmth. This winter was seeing a lot of snow, but it wasn't very cold. A few cloudy days could cause enough of a rise in temperature that the snow would melt and then freeze overnight.

"Treacherous weather," the man grunted. "Treacherous land. What made me come here? I should have taken Jack over the border."

Memories of his homeland flashed through his mind, the happy days. The place where North's father had taken him out for hunts, where all neighbours got together every Sunday. Where his mother had taught him to sew and carve. How she had made all their clothes and carved wooden toys for North to play with.

But there were also the hardships. The lack of food that forced them to starve for weeks on end. An unjust law system that allowed farmers be treated as slaves and eventually forced his parents to grab anything of value and run for their lives, hoping they could make it across the border into the Land of the Sun. Whatever they faced couldn't be worse than what they had sacrificed so much to escape.

North shook his head. All his life the country he claimed to be his home failed to take care of and protect him and his family. He had settled down in Berk because the king didn't care about it so they couldn't be hurt by the law. But they would move. When Jack was back with him North would pack up their house and move further inland; as far away from the dragon as possible.

Dragon corpse that is.

The sword strapped to the man's back felt like it hummed in agreement.

The windows in the south tower hadn't been made to open, so Hiccup had had to find the east wing; a side of the castle that held surprisingly few dragons, Jack noted. On the balcony there Hiccup had dressed himself and Jack in a sort of harness that would keep the teen from falling even if he lost his grip. Then Jack had climbed on the dragon's back, and they were slowly working out how to get to the top of the southern tower over the roofs.

Hiccup's back was hard, uncomfortable and warm. Jack wondered if there was something wrong with him for loving it. Hiccup's spine twisted like a snake and pulled the line of dull spikes (that Fishlegs had once explained was cartilage) across Jack's skin through his clothes as the dragon clumsily climbed the castle's walls with Jack was holding on for dear life, Hiccup pulling at his arms once in a while to breathe. The wind was pulling at their clothes sporadically, beating against them like a cat that was confused why they were out here.

"Why are we doing this again?" Hiccup suddenly asked rhetorically as he hung from the neck of a gargoyle on the outer wall of the southern tower.

"Why aren't you flying?" Jack asked back, eyes glued to everything he would hit on his way down if he lost his grip on the beast.

Hiccup waited with his answer until he'd heaved them up to find a narrow ridge inside the wall. Jack guessed that once upon a time this might have been a good place to hide archers and lookouts.

"I can't actually fly."

The words poked at something in the back of Jack's head. Like there was something he really should react to, but he held that thought. At least they weren't in grave danger anymore or he would definitely have lost it.

"You can't fly?" he heard himself say instead in a deadpan tone.

"Just glide, for short distances," the dragon filled in. "There are a couple details missing on me, and I haven't bothered to make protheses."

Jack knew he didn't want to know why. He'd heard time and again that Hiccup's history in this castle was made up of pain, suffering and hurt, spiced with death, and Jack really didn't need his heart breaking any more.

But wasn't that selfish?

"Do you even know how to make protheses?" he asked instead as Hiccup walked around the ridge on all four, searching for the best way to the roof.

The view from here was truly stunning, and Jack was grateful and resentful at the same time that it was a hazy day and the limited view hid exactly how far up they were. As Hiccup rounded the tower Jack saw the outer wall and the nothingness on the other side.

"It wouldn't have mattered if I could or not. I can move outside the walls but I can't leave."

The teen buried his face in Hiccup's neck. It was warm and solid and the scales were rough. "If you could fly I wouldn't want to strangle you right now! Why do you do this if you know you can die! With me!"

The dragon had stopped Jack felt him turn his head the other way. Away from the tower.

"You want to know why?"

Butterflies fought a wave of dread. Jack looked up at a tone he'd never heard Hiccup use, something daring.

The dragon's eyes were locked on the cracked wall, the light in them so bright it was all Jack could focus on before Hiccup glanced at him.

"I love a rush."

That was all the warning he got. Hiccup kicked away from the wall and spread his wings. Behind they left all of Jack's insides.

It was only seconds, Jack wasn't counting them as he was too busy trying to understand that Hiccup had actually jumped, that there was nothing underneath and there was too much air between their bodies. Then Hiccup landed heavily on the top of the wall and Jack had his breath knocked out of him when slammed into the dragon's body due to the sudden stop. He gasped for air, held onto the beast for all he was worth, limbs shaking from adrenaline.

Then, slowly realizing he was not falling to his death, Jack started laughing, a bit hysterically. He couldn't help it; he really was alive. More than alive. It was as if he hadn't lived before now. His heart was beating too hard inside his chest and he felt lightheaded.

Looking up, Jack caught Hiccup looking at him over his shoulder. The almost-smile was there, in his eyes, in the line of his mouth. But more than that; it was the first time Jack had seen the dragon this serene. Almost happy.

Jack wished will all his might Hiccup was allowed to stay like this.

But it slipped away. Like the breeze swept away with the light of almost-happiness and made way for something solemn and dark staring at the chasm that opened up on the other side of the wall.

The rift was so large it disappeared in the haze in all directions. Jack felt like cursing it. He felt like crying. Like he was looking at something other than a crack in the earth. Couldn't it have been something else? Something pretty or good that Hiccup could smile at. Anything would have been better than this nothing!

"The Enchantress on the other side is as eccentric as the one who did this to me, " Hiccup said. "I went over there once, to ask for help."

Jack had to swallow before he found his voice. "That's how you know the Enchantresses don't interact."

"Yes. And I could fly back then. The Enchantress I asked for help crippled me instead, to make sure I stayed away."

The teen couldn't look at the rift any longer. On the other side stood the castle. A prison for all of them. It offered neither warmth or safety.

At the top of the main building there was a window just under the roof. Jack dismissed it because it was probably just an attic or storage and tried to see if any other windows belonged to rooms he was familiar with.

"Had enough?" the dragon asked.

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "It's too hazy today. It would have been more impressive if I could see the end of the rift."

The dragon blew hot steam from his snout. "I wish I could express how much I agree with that statement."

Hiccup turned his body and spread his wings, preparing to glide back down to earth. Jack tensed up and squeezed the dragon in equal parts fright and excitement, eyes zoning in on the ground that was way too far down for his comfort.

The dragon slumped and relaxed, one hand pulling at Jack's arms around his neck.

"I'm not going to let you die, Jack. Please trust me."

"I trust you!" Jack squeaked, realized how unconvincing that sounded and tried to relax. "I have to trust you, don't I? I can't make it down on my own."

Hiccup was silent and still for so long Jack grew nervous. He looked away from the drop and caught sight of the dragon's expression.

"Do you trust me?"

It was an honest question, one that pressed for an honest answer. Jack swallowed.

"I…"

Hiccup was protecting him best he could, but he was trying to protect everyone. He pulled stunts like today; scaling walls with Jack on his back when he couldn't even fly and Jack had been worried and felt slightly betrayed.

But had he been afraid?

"I was terrified when you jumped," the teen admitted. "But that's…"

Hiccup waited patiently, his hand still on Jack's wrist. Unlike his body, Hiccup's hand was cool. They should head back.

The teen swallowed again. He very much could avoid the question and just ask for them to go back inside. But the castle wasn't a safe place. Nothing would change if Jack avoided this situation.

"I trust you'll take me down to the ground safely," he said and looked into Hiccup's eye with as much conviction as he could muster. "I trust you don't want me dead. But this is much higher than any tree I ever climbed, and between us and the ground there's just air! I trust you, but I'm terrified, it just means that I'm…"

"Human," the dragon finished and his voice was so understanding. "Trust is something we all have to work for, and yet I don't know a single person who has ever trusted anyone completely."

At that Jack couldn't help but chuckle, placing his forehead against the dragon's scaly neck. "I wouldn't have managed to be that poetic if I thought about it for a year. It's not even what I wanted to say. Not really."

"I'm all ears. Or would you rather go inside first?"

There it was again. Hiccup had done this so many times now Jack almost got angry. Why was Hiccup the one who offered an out when he more than anyone should think about himself and the curse…

What if Hiccup really was thinking of the curse? What had Bunny said? If Jack knew how to break the spell it wouldn't happen.

You can't force anyone to trust you.

Looking at the ground again Jack re-evaluated the situation. It was a long way down and Hiccup couldn't fly, but he could glide them down and it would be a rough landing, and then they would return to the suffocating boredom of the castle. As often as he could, Hiccup would give Jack these moments. The library. The day they'd had a snowball fight yesterday. Today.

"You know, even if that's not exactly what I wanted to say, I don't think I could phrase it better no matter how many times I try," Jack said, and this time he knew it was true. Looking back at the dragon, he felt himself smiling. "But I'm here with you now. That counts as trust, right?"

Jack had expected a smile in return, to see relief or a happy glow in Hiccup's eyes. It didn't happen. Hiccup's eyes just widened in an expression Jack couldn't read before he looked away.

"Yes, it does count."

The glide back to the ground would have been exhilarating if it wasn't for the fact they landed back inside the walls of this prison where the sun couldn't reach them.

Eugene had never been to Berk. It was a fairly large village built on the edges of the river that ran all the way from the lake north of Visithug and over the border between Dawn and Herbit until it joined to the sea in the south. This place was known for one thing though; they had blatantly refused to pay their taxes for the past eight or so years.

The knights and diplomats sent here all complained and some requested the village be burnt for the trouble they caused, but the king was more for going on a campaign to keep traders away and not answering calls for help.

Eugene wondered when that tactic was going to change since it hadn't helped anyone during Baldur's rule. The knights least of all. At least they hadn't brought the issue to Rapunzel yet.

Finding the village though, Eugene felt like he should put a good word in for this place. The people out and about were dressed in skins and furs like barbarians. They lived here, abandoned and secluded with only themselves. It had an inn though, which meant there was probably some traffic happening to and from the village. From its place in the heart of the town, Eugene guessed it also doubled as a place to gather.

Very little was happening. And when some people noticed his presence they went to point it out to their friends.

Hiding it was then. In a village that didn't pay their taxes for one reason or another, they probably wouldn't be too happy to know the Enchantress's familiar was spying on them.

Settling on the roof of the inn, Eugene burrowed into the snow to keep watch on the happenings of the village, planning to get intel.

Most people were stocky and thick the way hard labourers are. The faces were all weather-beaten and darkened from too much sunlight during the summer. There was this heavy atmosphere that made Eugene feel for these people. Something must have happened recently, or the darkness eating more and more of the daylight was taking an early toll on all of them.

Except for one person. He was much thinner than other men around, tall with dark hair and his skin had an unhealthy ashen hue. He walked slowly, back straight and head high. Others steered clear of him where he was making his way towards the inn.

"Hey, Gravedigger! What are you doing on the village proper!"

Eugene looked up at the one who'd called.

A young, bulky man with an enormous nose strode up the street, and Eugene knew he was close now. This man wasn't enchanted, but certainly infected by Mother Gothel's magic.

"I have a right to come and go as I please, Snotlout," the gravedigger sniffed.

"Better not get used to it! When I'm the chief I'll send you to the same place I sent Mildew!"

Despite the threat, the tall man looked annoyed more than anything.

"One; you won't be chief. Two; you did not send my father anywhere, Jogersson. He was old and kicked the bucket."

"That's what you think!"

The air filled with excited chuckles. Eugene tore his eyes off the infected one to a man in his shadow who was even bigger, with a ring in his nose.

"It was the dragon," he chuckled.

"The dragon who ate Stoick's stick of a son?" the gravedigger asked with a small smirk as all colour drained from Snotlout's face. "Someone should put you out of your misery, Jogersson. Your madness is getting worse for every winter."

"If you don't stop picking on Snotlout I'll put you down, Pitch Black!"

Eugene turned to see a slender woman with long, platina blonde braids and a long face with hard eyes.

"Who are you!?"

The familiar frowned, heart aching with the woman when hurt flashed through her eyes, but it was gone just as fast, replaced with passive aggravation.

"Just passing by. I saw the dragon around Gravedigger's house. Must be its lair. You should go…"

"There are no dragons!" the pale man shouted.

"We go hunt the dragon!" the man with the ring in his nose urged enthusiastically, giving the woman hopeful looks.

"And pull Hiccup out of his stomach!" the other promised, already striding away with one of his boots in his hand.

"No!"

But the dragon-hunters were apprehended by a person that had Eugene puff out his chest in indignance. That boy dared have the same face as his human form! And what was up with that sleazy smile?!

"Hey now, let's all calm down. Dragon-hunting is not a safe occupation and needs some preparation. A tankard or five of mead and you'll be warm and brave and ready to kill every dragon in the village."

Eugene wasn't sure how that was supposed to be persuasive, but both men were nodding, looking like that sounded reasonable rather than the "get drunk and forget about this" that it really was.

The gravedigger however looked even more stepped on as Eugene's doubleganger passed him with a wink.

When the three entered the inn, the slender man straightened with a huff, hatred and rage in every movement and twitch of his face.

"You can't win against him," the woman said coolly, attracting the hateful glower on herself.

"What makes you think I'm even in any sort of competition against him?" he hissed, holding on to his composure with both hands.

"It was Flynn who spread the rumour that you were courting Birk when the boy was ten years old."

The humiliated red on the gravedigger's face and the way he shook in fury made him look more alive in every bad way possible.

"Also," the woman continued, she too dripping with anger and hatred that was cold as ice, "I can't forgive you for how you taunt Snotlout."

The rage in the gravedigger cooled somewhat, as if he had found an upper hand. "It was not me who said the Night Fury ate his rider."

"Toothless wouldn't do that," the woman huffed with certainty. "None of the dragons would."

"That's not how the story goes, Ruffnut. Even you grew up afraid of dragon attacks. The dragons are gone now, and so is Hiccup and a whole bunch of people. It shouldn't take a genius to figure it out."

There was no rebuttal other than a narrow-eyed glare. But above them, Eugene's heart was breaking despite the adrenaline that filled him.

"It would be bad if the rumours are true, wouldn't it?" the gravedigger went on, now confident enough to have regained his haughtiness. "That there is one of those giant dragons lurking inside the rift. One that preys on everyone taking a wrong turn at Iduna's outpost."

Eugene sat very still as the gravedigger walked away. He really shouldn't be relieved that he'd found any proof that Mother Gothel really did have a curse left in the world. The dragons. Eugene knew about them, of course. The old Enchantress had liked to catch them to make medicine and poisons. But the dragons had been rather calm since some ten or fifteen years. And then they'd just faded away.

Eugene was a familiar, so it wasn't in his nature to question when the world changed. He didn't now either, but he did wonder what the lost dragons and apparently a chunk of people from this village.

'I need more intel,' he thought to himself, and a plan was already forming.

That night Jack couldn't sleep. He lay awake, staring at the wall and wished Tooth breathed. He missed Sandy, his cat who would press up against him during cold nights and purr comfortably. He missed his father terribly, his warm arms, his laughter and excitement every time he made a new toy and wanted Jack to play with him.

The forever child in an elderly man's body.

Jack buried his face in the pillow and wanted to cry. When was the last time he laughed? Laughed without having this dark, horrible void all around him? Probably not since his mother left. Since he was a child playing with his baby sister, showing her their father's toys.

The human turned again and caught sight of Tooth Fairy, standing there looking like a dresser who needed a new paint job. Who needed to be human, a woman with arms that could hug him back when he put his arms around her, something he wanted but didn't dare do for a plethora of reasons.

Turning again, Jack pulled the blanket tighter around him. He hated the curse. Hated it! Hated the fact that Tooth and Ida and Dagur and everyone hurt and who had had to watch their children and friends die and shatter into pieces. The image of Hiccup picking up all the pieces and putting them back together in a hopeless attempt to save someone made Jack want to hunt down the Enchantress that had done this to him and make her suffer too!

Groaning quietly, the teen got out of bed and stalked over to the window. It was too dark and the moon was hiding. Even though the air in the room was chilly, Jack still wanted to open the window and let the winter night air wash over him.

He had a fleeting image of Hiccup sharing his bed and himself cuddling against him under the blankets for warmth.

The thought made his face heat up, because he really wanted that. He was so starved of physical contact, to the point he wanted to go find the dragon and ask to be held during the night.

"I'm losing my mind," the teen whispered, but with the way things were he shouldn't be surprised by the development. Not when Hiccup was so hesitant to touch him.

He spun around and stared at the dark room. There was a vanity table with a comb that missed a couple of teeth and a brush that had gotten stiff over the years. Still, they both took care of Jack's hair in the mornings, which he was grateful for. He'd noticed their treatment made his hair softer and less frizzy. The mirror had been polished since he got here. Actually, all of the vanity table looked more clean now than when Jack moved in.

Blinking slowly, the teen stared at other things in the room. He hadn't noticed it really, but it was very clean. The carpet was softer than before and there were no spiderwebs anywhere. Not just in here either. Hadn't there been one or two armours in the hallways that looked more shiny and less rusty?

That was a good thing, wasn't it? Jackson wanted to believe it was good. A clean house made a better impression. Cleaning up your appearance means you're feeling well, doesn't it? Heck, even Dagur was livelier and shinier nowadays.

Maybe he shouldn't have abandoned his idea to hold a party so quickly. It would give them all something to do for a day or so.

Nodding as the idea solidified, sounding way more appeasing that just waking up and keep drifting in the sadness. He'd find Hiccup first thing after breakfast and have him organize a cleaning frenzy. The whole place would be sparkling from basement to the attic. Or maybe they should start with the attic and just get that over with? It was normally the dirtiest place in a building because there was never anyone there.

Happy with the plan, Jack headed back to bed. He and Hiccup would start cleaning out castle and throw all the dust and spiderwebs and such out the windows. Maybe they should do something about the yard too? The tools outside the stable seemed to appreciate a reason to work whenever Jack was outside. Hopefully they wouldn't mind sweeping some dirt from inside.

He lay down under the blanket, ready to sleep now. Hopefully the things in the attic wouldn't mind the attention.

Jack's eyes shot open, his heart jumping.

Looking over the room, he was sure everyone and thing was still asleep. His coat hung by the door.

Everything was asleep at night.

Swallowing, Jack slipped out of bed again.

He shouldn't. Hiccup had asked him not to.

Jack trembled in the cold.

"What if…?"