Can you cheat a curse...

"I couldn't do anything."

"You called for help."

"Exellinor ignored me. She taunted Jack and I just sat there as if I've already become soulless."

"Exellinor is a witch from the slums. You're the one who should have ignored her."

"She blocked the exits when Jack tried to leave and I…!"

"Was as helpless as any one of us would have been. I'm glad you're both safe, Astrid."

"Yeah, like, you really look like you've had a rough night."

The candlestick spun around and glared at Ida and Tuffnut, tears of wax making her vision blurry.

"You don't understand! I put Jack in danger! I showed him how to get to the upper level but I don't recall how! One moment we're talking and the next there's Hookfang right in front of me."

"And if it had been anyone but you who were with Jack, they would have died!"

Astrid flinched, closing her eyes, hoping the shame could just vanish. Hoping she was human again when she opened her eyes so that she could do anything other than spread light.

She wanted Hiccup to hold her again.

The door to the kitchen opened. "Jack's fallen asleep," Gobber reported quietly. "He had a scare, some minor scratches and a bump on the head, but nothing lasting."

"See there, Astrid. The boy's safe," Ida said firmly.

Dagur had been quiet since Ida came in with Astrid, but now there was a question he couldn't keep down anymore. "Is Alvin really dead?"

"Not just him," Gobber said. "I went to check. "The witch and two of the other outcasts are ashes. The rest seems content to play dead. With their leaders gone, I don't expect much trouble from them."

Ten years ago, Tuffnut would have moaned that he hadn't been there to see the destruction. Ten years later Astrid was still waiting for the mug to sprout nonsense like that.

"I really hope the curse will lift soon," the candlestick said. "I can't live like this much longer."

Morning arrived slowly. Not that Hiccup could see it in this room that didn't have windows. He hadn't slept, not even after Jack's breathing evened out. Gobber and Bunny had gathered as many blankets as they could so that the human could be placed on the floor beside him. But Hiccup himself thought those were uncomfortable.

'I have been a dragon for too long,' Hiccup thought where he lay curled around Jack.

He felt wrung out, like an old dish cloth. It didn't matter who had called for him, the important part was that someone had heard, and the ripple effect was that everyone and everything woke up and guided Hiccup to the heart of the commotion.

A soft voice quietly drifted over to him. "Master?"

The dragon lifted his head and smiled tiredly. "Good morning Tooth Fairy."

"It's a little early still to call it a good morning," the dresser sighed. She looked as worn as Hiccup felt. She had a few marks from where she'd forced herself out of the room to tell Hiccup Jack and his coat were missing.

"Jack is alive, so at least there is good," the dragon said.

A tear rolled down Tooth's face. "Yes, that's good."

Some of the other furniture moved out of the way and motioned for Tooth to place herself against the wall.

Gobber and Bunny were still in the room, but stayed quiet. They had all had a major fright, and now they were waiting for Hiccup's reaction. And Hiccup wished he could react, but he was numb. The rose was wilting and Hiccup found himself spending more and more time watching it, trying to will it to bloom again, feeling the pressure and the hopelessness. And Toothless stood there, a dragon made out of grey stone, watching Hiccup crumble under the intense wish to save him. To see him live again.

"Is there any chance, master?"

The fire in the hearth was just embers now. "As long as it's not cold coal."

"Huh?"

Hiccup looked up and blinked. "Did I say half a sentence again?"

"You've been doing that for at least four years," Gobber offered his misplaced words of comfort.

And Hiccup was still rolling his eyes at it.

"There is a chance," he said, and his eyes went to Tooth Fairly. "He's a good kid after all, even if he's reckless."

"Hey, that sounds like someone I know," Gobber grinned.

At that, the dragon could just snort. Good old Gobber, never one to succumb to depression.

At his side, Jack suddenly gasped and froze.

"It's okay, Jack. You're safe," the dragon whispered.

Hiccup had expected Jack to get up, get away from him and try to hide fear or disgust at the thought of being wrapped by a scaly reptile.

But Jack pulled himself closer, buried his face in the apron Hiccup liked to wear for modesty's sake.

"You stayed."

"I promised, didn't I?"

"I promised not to go to the attic."

Hiccup cast a glance at Fishlegs who was the only one in his line of sight that didn't require him to turn his head. Jack didn't need to know how many people were watching him now when he was vulnerable.

"I'm sorry. I know I promised, I just…"

Hiccup waited patiently, trying very hard not to move away when Jack pressed even closer to him. This was a very new sensation. Nobody had ever sought physical comfort with him. It made Hiccup very happy about his black scales because it meant he couldn't blush.

"You won't tell me how to help you! I thought, maybe…"

"That Alvin would?!" Fishlegs sputtered, unable to stop himself.

Jack stiffened, and Hiccup watched as his ears turned red. He carefully covered the boy with a wing.

"Sorry," Fishlegs mumbled when Hiccup cast a glance his way.

Looking back at the form hidden under his wing, the dragon huffed in annoyance. "If it makes you feel better, I once thought too that Alvin possessed humanity. There's no rhyme or reason behind what kind of furniture everyone has become. Alvin however was turned into something accurate to his nature. But of course, you wouldn't know that."

Jack was silent for a minute. Hiccup motioned with his tail for the wood bin beside the fireplace to put fresh wood in the fireplace and the poker instantly started stirring the embers to get the fire going again. The original furniture was always the happiest when they could do what they had once been created to do.

"Are you angry, Hiccup?"

The dragon watched the flames slowly spark to life. He thought back to the events of the night, and sighed so deeply part of his soul might have escaped with the breath.

"I'm too tired to be angry with you. You really frightened me though, when I figured you'd gone to the upper floors. I know you realize this yourself by now; Alvin would have killed you if I hadn't shown up."

He felt Jack curl further into him and that was his answer. There really was no use in getting angry, even though the thought of his father wasn't far from his thoughts because of that. Once upon a time Hiccup had thought his father hated him. Now he had seen with his own eyes how others reacted and made the rest of the guesswork himself. His father had never hated him; Hiccup had just frightened him time and again, and the relief when Hiccup made it out unharmed took form in anger. Because his father had told him of those dangers that Hiccup had once not thought were so bad.

The ignorance of youth.

"Why did you bring Astrid?" Hiccup asked the one question he really wanted answered; a real reason to be angry.

Again, Jack was silent for a long time, and Hiccup felt his patience run thin.

Maybe he actually was angry?

"She stood outside my door," Jack's voice spoke carefully. "She was more asleep than awake, and I asked if I could take her with me."

"That doesn't explain how you found your way to the upper floor."

Jack fidgeted under Hiccup's wing. Then the teen surprisingly sat up. Hiccup allowed his wing to fall away and stared at Jack's beaten face. The bump on his head looked painful.

"She pleaded with me not to go," Jack admitted. "Then I don't know what happened. It was like her mind broke, and she pointed out the hidden staircase."

No, Hiccup decided he wasn't angry after all. All of their minds were fragile. Even someone like Astrid was bound to break at some point.

This was all the cause of the curse. A curse that Jack had somehow gotten into his head was his job to break.

Huffing again, Hiccup laid his head down, deciding he could need some sleep. "I've told you before that only the cursed one can break the curse," he nagged the teen. "You doing stunts like this is not helping your cause or mine. I'm going to sleep now."

Jack stared at the dragon. He'd expected more of a lecture. A worse reaction. Hiccup had warned him, and he'd been right. So what had Jack even tried to accomplish? To tell the truth, he didn't even know. Not at all. He'd figured out where the attic was located, and that was really all.

But Hiccup just fell asleep, his face smoothing out, making Jack realized how tense the dragon had really been.

"Oh Jack," a familiar voice spoke and Jack startled.

"Tooth Fairy!?"

The dresser looked like someone had pushed her through a too narrow opening.

"I startled awake at some point, and you weren't in your bed, and your coat was missing. I thought you'd run away."

And she had gone out to look for him? "Did you call for Hiccup?"

"Astrid did, I believe."

The teen looked around, searching for the candlestick.

"She was in a bad state, so Ida took her away to calm down," Fishlegs said. "You put her in danger too."

Jack sunk into himself. Hiccup's lack of anger left him unbalanced, and now even more guilty.

"Astrid protected me," he mumbled, ashamed that she, who was only a table decoration, had managed to do more than him who had just gone to the upper floor, gotten tossed around and chased.

"You should go outside and put some ice or snow on that bump on your head," Tooth suggested.

"Don't you think I'll try to run away?"

Instantly, Jack regretted his words. Hurt etched itself onto Tooth's features, but rather than argue, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, turning into an inanimate piece of wooden furniture.

"You could probably use some fresh air," Bunny spoke for the first time. "I can accompany you if it makes you feel better."

"You wouldn't be able to stop me if I decided to run," Jack said, wishing he could just stop talking altogether. But maybe he'd had enough. He'd tried time and again to show these people he wanted to help them and felt betrayed when they didn't trust him.

"I couldn't stop you, but I could close the door and let you freeze to death out there."

The human stared strangely at the vase, because his voice sounded light-hearted.

"That almost sounded like a joke rather than a threat," he commented.

"I've spent ten years as a vase living with Gobber. You'd be surprised how many jokes we've cracked about killing each other and found them funny."

On the wall, Tooth Fairy was making a face. "Because the jokes about me being a fashionista dresser hording children's teeth were only funny the first time."

Bunny and Fishlegs both turned on her.

"Hording teeth?! Who the hell said that?"

"That's gross! And horrible! Oh god, I think I have goose bumps!"

"You're a book!"

Jack couldn't help it; he started to giggle, but stopped almost immediately when his head started throbbing. He quickly removed his hand when his touch just made it worse.

"Honestly, you should put some ice on that. You look like you ran head first into a wall."

"Yeah."

Jack stood up and carefully stepped over the sleeping dragon when everyone in the room suddenly sputtered.

"Really?!"

"Flynn Rider! Get back here this instant!"

Pitch quickly stepped back before he came out of the shadow. From here he had a good view over the main road where Stoick was running after Flynn Rider, who was gracious enough to stop and turn his horse.

"Chief, have some faith! We can't just abandon Overland!"

"I can't allow you to act recklessly either! This is far from the first case of disappearances we've had!"

"But the toymaker was moving by foot. Thorston's daughter confirmed that Jack disappeared with their horse. He can't have made it too far in the snow."

Stoick caught up and faster than anyone would believe for a man of his stature, snatched the reigns. "And what makes you think you can find him? You can't stop him from going after Jack, and having more people has never helped before!"

At this, the young man at horseback fired a winning smile. "Those people just weren't careful enough, dear chief. Besides, aren't you sick of people disappearing? If I return with Overland, one or both, we can spread some light on your dark history."

"That's not a good enough reason to risk your life, Rider!"

Pitch watched Flynn lean forward, place a hand on the chief's shoulder, and said a few words Pitch couldn't hear. Whatever he said crushed Stoick's heart, and he slowly released the horse.

"I'll be back, with at least one Overland in tow!" Flynn shouted at the people who had come out to see what the commotion was about, then he turned his horse and trotted away.

The first person coming to the chief's side was Thorston's daughter, but Pitch stepped further into the shadows. The thought of Flynn Rider never coming back was one Pitch found increasingly pleasant, and if the rumours were true, then he wouldn't.

The gravedigger started going back home. He'd just been out for an early walk this morning, seeing that there was little else for him to do during the winter. Now, for the first time in years, he was smiling to himself. It would be really good if Flynn never returned. It would be even better if the rumours were true; that there was a dragon in the rift. It would make people afraid. It would even put the annoying Jogersson out of commission due to his madness. It would give Pitch such freedom when his tormentor Flynn disappeared.

But what if Flynn did return?

Pitch shook his head as that one sliver of doubt crept up on him like a shadow.

No, Flynn couldn't come back! If there really was a dragon then it would kill Flynn.

What if there is no dragon?

"Then I'll make one!"

The gravedigger stopped dread in his tracks, his own voice echoing in his head.

Of course. If there weren't a dragon out there to help put fear in the villagers, he should just make one. It wasn't hard. He just had to be prepared.

After an awkward breakfast, Jack went to the stable. Philippe greeted him happily. Except for the fact that it was winter and the horses chances of exercise was limited to the times Jack took him out for a short ride around the castle, the horse looked happy. His thick winter coat was brushed so thoroughly he felt like a kitten to the touch.

"By now you're probably the most spoiled horse this side of the rift," Jack chuckled as he combed his fingers through the silky mane.

"It's good te have someone te wait on," Mulch the scarecrow said from his place by the door. "Nothing's quite as boring or scary as staring into space just waiting for the end. Hey, what happened to your head?"

Jack heaved a deep sigh and buried his face in Philippe's neck. "Sorry, I'll take Philippe for a walk."

"Be safe," the scarecrow said.

That was Jack's favourite trait of Mulch; he never pressed for answers if Jack avoided his questions.

The teen placed a blanket on the horseback and led Philippe outside. A stool helped him sit up and the shovels and rakes perked, only to deflate because there was no snow to shovel out of the way and no leaves to tidy up.

It was warm outside for November. Too warm. The snow was even melting. It made Jack slightly unhappy. He greatly preferred proper cold and deep snow and frost over the soggy transition between winter and spring. As a child he'd loved to jump into puddles and come up coved with mud, but the joy of such childish games had faded with the years.

"Sorry guys. Next time," the teen told the disheartened tools.

Philippe started walking without Jack urging him. It gave the human the chance to let his thoughts wander.

He'd screwed up so bad last night and every time he closed his eyes he saw the metal teeth gleaming in front of him in the light of Astrid's candles. And now Tooth had left the room and Jack didn't want her to go back there, not when she'd finally gotten herself out of her self-made prison. Jack himself didn't want to go back to that room.

"Hey Philippe, do you think Hiccup would allow me to sleep beside him from now on?"

The horse didn't answer, and out here were no other people. They watched, he knew, but from a distance. This was as much freedom as Jack could have, and he had come to realize that was more than anyone else had.

"It feels like years ago. Gobber told me I should view myself as a guest rather than a prisoner. Can you believe it, Philippe? I was whining so much about being kept here against my will. But Hiccup, you and I are really the only ones who can even go outside."

They rounded the corner and in front of them was the west wall that held the gate.

Jack suddenly remembered a thought he'd had. He'd thought the outcasts were like dogs.

The witch doll.

Philippe kept up his even pace, ignorant of Jack's thoughts.

The path from the front door of the castle to the gate was covered with snow. Once North had come through that gate, having gotten lost after something spooked Philippe. He'd only had the witch doll as protection against wild animals.

Jack remembered the bear he'd encountered that one time he'd tried to run.

"I miss dad," he said out loud, like he often did to himself. "I wonder how he'd doing. If he's back in Berk and if people are treating him well. Do you remember Ruffnut, Philippe? If I'm not back before spring she'll take over all of our animals. I thought it was okay because I'd be right back with dad. Now…"

Now he was torn. He couldn't bring himself to leave Hiccup and everyone here in a place where laughter was so rare. He hadn't even seen Hiccup smile even once. Just those almost-there glimpses.

Jack had spent a lot of secret time imagining what Hiccup looked like when he laughed. He'd failed to even imagine the sound. So Jack didn't want to leave the dragon here with a loneliness and a curse that was worse than death.

"I forced him to kill again," Jack mumbled. "He killed the bear before, to protect me, even though it hurt him. Now he's killed…"

Jack couldn't say it. Even if he had become a beartrap, Alvin and the other outcasts had been humans once.

"It's not the first time," the teen said to himself, remembering all the people who'd come here before him. They were all dead now, one way or another, because they had all tried to kill Hiccup.

A lump formed in his throat, a knot that had resided in Jack's heart since he realized Hiccup had done all he could to save North pulled tight around him until he thought he would suffocate.

Jack leaned forward, burying his face in Philipp's mane.

"I'm not helping at all," he sobbed. "I'm just making things worse. I'm just self-righteous. I thought I could just… break the curse as easily as they do in the stories and I could go home and everyone would be happy."

Philippe had stopped moving when Jack leaned forward. It wasn't the first time the boy had a breakdown on his back and the horse knew what to do. He would stand perfectly still, smell nice and make some comforting noises. But the moment was broken for the horse when he caught sight of a by now familiar creature.

The dragon moved quietly towards them. Philippe liked him. The dragon brought him fresh apples sometimes. Now the horse couldn't stop from giving up a neigh in greeting.

On his back, Jackson sat up straight and flinched when the dragon threw something at him that wrapped around his shoulders. It was warm.

"Even if it's not freezing, it's still cold. You should take better care of yourself," Hiccup said softly.

Then he turned to leave, and Jack didn't even think. He jumped off Philippe's back and launched for the dragon, latching onto his arm.

"I'm sorry! I-I wa- I could- I…" Jack choked on all the words that tried to come out at the same time.

But Hiccup pulled out of his grasp. Jack's vision was too blurred by tears and Hiccup had pulled away. The human felt like he was suspended in emptiness.

Then the dragon pulled Jack's cloak tighter around him. It didn't fill the hollowness inside him at all.

"You hate me," Jack accused, tears still streaking his face.

The dragon's hands paused. "I don't hate you. What makes you think that?"

"You don't touch me! You always pull away! You… you say I'm helping but I'm really not and you hate me! And last night… and the bear and dad and…"

The action is slow, the press of Hiccup's hands on his shoulders hesitant as they glide across Jack's shoulder blades, and the press of his warm body is everything Jack wants. He leans his head against Hiccup's chest, hands balled against his face as the tears just keep falling with sobs wrecking his body until it hurts.

They stand there for a long while, Philippe shielding them, standing very close and offering support the way horses do.

"Haven't you noticed it, Jack?" Hiccup says quietly when Jack's crying quiets down. "Every time I move to touch you, you grow stiff, as if you're preparing for pain."

"I don't!"

"Every time, and how was I supposed to interpret it other than that you're still terrified of me? And breaking the curse? Isn't that just an excuse in hopes of getting away from here? From me."

Jack stood still and just breathed. "I thought… I read so many stories… breaking curses always seemed so easy. Why else am I here?"

There was a deep sigh above and the arms tightened around him. "You really do read too much."

Jack just stands there, allowing himself to selfishly absorb Hiccup's affection like a sponge. He feels one of Hiccup's hands leave his back and reach up, fingers carefully combing through his hair.

In this moment in time, there is nothing but the two of them and the feeling of Hiccup's fingers barely scraping against his skull. Inside Jack there are words he doesn't dare speak.

Is it okay that I love you?

Eugene was frustrated. The weather stayed hazy, meaning he couldn't just sail the winds as high as he needed and spot the place where Mother Gothel's magic was active. It was too far away for him to feel it here in Berk.

The familiar had thought he could find maps and not have to rely on following his human doppelganger. But he had still managed to gather a lot of unsettling snippets of a great disaster that had occurred a decade ago; there had been dragons here.

Eugene remembered dragons. They had once been common in this part of the world. He hadn't even realized they'd disappeared. That's not what caused his feathers to ruffle. It was that along with the dragons, it seemed a lot of people had disappeared as well.

Eugene shivered at the thought. Abducting half a village? Could that be Mother Gothel's doing? For what?

A lone figure slowly made his way away from the village towards a lonely house. Eugene recognized the man. This was the one who had tried to stop Flynn Rider (the embarrassingly cool name of Eugene's doppelganger) and let him go after a truly poisonous comment.

"If your own son wasn't worth risking your life for, tell me what is."

Eugene felt for the man, the village chief apparently. That Flynn Rider didn't even know what that meant.

Sighing in defeat, Eugene swallowed his pride and steeled his heart for whatever terrible thing Mother Gothel might have left behind in this world. It was several hours since Flynn Rider had left, but the good thing about winter and snow was that tracks were easy to follow.