I… am very mixed about this chapter. (And I'm so tired, I can't even remember if they've had this discussion about the throne before. You'll have to forgive me if they have.)
Chapter 8
Some of the guards still scoffed when Jack said he could tell the difference between the howls of a winter wolf, and those of a nightmare wolf. And he knew that a number of people a court, not just guards, whispered that he was paranoid. Of course, he would have liked to see them face Kozmotis Pitchiner as many times as he had and come away any better.
He knew what they said about him, and occasionally he wished he was wrong when he called it – but he was always right.
Now, at least, there was no one to tell him he was wrong. That saved time.
Jaw clenched as the echoes of the wolves' howls resounded in his skull, Jack urged the horse to a gallop. It didn't take much to coax the speed, despite the long day of riding. The horse didn't care what kind of wolves were out there – it cared only that wolves were predators.
Another howl rang through the air. And Jack hoped he was wrong when it sounded like a hunting cry – announcing to the rest of the pack that it had caught a scent. He had hoped to leave them behind before they caught the scent of the horse – or of him. There was a definite possible that they were tracking him.
Of course, if his theory was right, it was also possible that they were tracking Rapunzel.
Or bother of them.
Jack wasn't enthusiastic about any of those possibilities.
Neither did he like how fast night was setting in around them. He had hoped to make it to the cabin before sunset. But if he couldn't throw the wolves off, they wouldn't be able to stop there at all.
He barely caught sight of the wooden sign post on the side of the road, and he wasn't even able to read the words. But he had ridden this road enough times, he knew what it was. Making a split second decision, he turned the horse onto the side road. It would take them several miles out of their way, but they needed a plan, and this was the only one that occurred to him.
There was another howl. Closer this time, because they were barreling towards it.
"Why are you taking us closer?" Rapunzel cried, over the pounding of the horse's hooves on the packed gravel road.
He would be impressed with her hearing later.
"Hold on," was all he could think to say.
Her arms wrapped so tight around his waist that his lungs were constricted. Not that it made much difference. Adrenaline had already turned his breath short.
The wolves were still closing in, from all directions. And the road kept twisting through the woods.
Had he miscalculated where they were? Just as he started to wonder, he saw a break in the trees. Through it, he could see something glimmering in the dying light.
Mentally, he focused on summoning his powers. It had been a long time since he had tried something this big. Actually, he couldn't remember if he had ever done something this big. And he realized, a little too late, just how long it had been since he had done much of anything with his powers.
Around them, the temperature started to drop, the environment shifting to accommodate him.
So he hoped desperately that this would work, and threw out his hand.
Silver white frost shot from his palm, and hit the surface of the small lake. Just as he heard the loudest howl yet, and knew that the wolves were right behind him. He resisted the urge to look back. It was just slow him down.
They broke through the trees, and Jack urged the horse to keep going straight.
There had been a layer of ice over the lake's surface already. But this early in the year, it would have been thin, and probably wouldn't even have covered the whole surface. It wouldn't have been enough to hold Rapunzel's weight, let alone the horse's.
"Won't the ice break?" Rapunzel asked.
Jack couldn't respond – all his attention was focused on the ice.
Another wolf howled behind them, followed in rapid succession by two more.
The horse's spiked shoes dug into the ice as they galloped across it.
Jack felt his energy draining from him, poured into the lake as he mentally commanded the ice to thicken. The adrenaline coursing through him could only counteract so much.
Rapunzel continued to cling to him, and somehow, that was the one thing that kept him going.
It was a relief when they crossed the middle of the lake, and he turned off his powers. By this point, if the ice in the middle could hold them, they would be fine until they reached the other side. His shoulders sagged, but he forced himself to summon the last of his strength in preparation.
He wasn't done yet.
They reached the far shore, and he forced the horse to slow to a stop, turning the look back. The horse resisted – not that Jack blamed him. But he still demanded that they turn back.
His heart stumbled in his chest as he saw the massive wolves, with their shaggy black fur, halfway across the lake. Their teeth were bared, and they glared with bright yellow eyes. He couldn't hear the vibrations of their growls, but his memory was more than happy to fill in the blanks. Whether he wanted it to or not.
Rapunzel trembled behind him. "Why are we stopping?"
Jack didn't answer. Lifting his hand, he sliced it down through the air.
Out on the lake, under the wolves, the ice cracked. The sound was deep and deadly, echoing off the trees. His rattled his ribs, and spooked the horse so badly it reared up on its hind legs with a loud whinny. And the ice that had held the horse's weight, shattered on Jack's mental command. The wolves cried out in surprise as they plunged into the icy water.
Jack clenched his jaw. Despite what the wolves were, he was still reluctant about his next move. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, to steady his nerves, he opened his hand…and clenched it into a tight fist.
The ice obeyed, and resealed itself in a matter of moments, trapping the wolves underneath.
Rapunzel gasped audibly.
Jack's fist tightened, but he had already let go of his mental hold on the ice.
His gaze went across the lake, where two more wolves stood on the shore. He waited for them to move, though he knew they wouldn't cross the lake.
Sure enough, after a moment, they turned and vanished back into the shadows of the trees.
Jack exhaled. And with the depleted oxygen went the last of his energy. Jaw still clenched, her turned the horse, and they started back into the woods. There was no road at this point, so they had to pick their way through the trees.
Behind him, Rapunzel was silent.
By the time they reached the wood cutter's cabin, off the main road, the sun had fully set, leaving a half moon in the sky. Maybe three quarters of an hour had passed, but it felt much longer.
He didn't like Rapunzel's continued silence, but he couldn't think of how to break it. It didn't feel as though he had the right to do so.
The cabin was a small, single room space. The original builder was long forgotten, and it had become a place for travelers to stop for the night. The air was stale, a fine layer of dust on the floor. But there was more wood than the last time Jack had been there, more than a month before.
He could hear Rapunzel behind him as he started a fire in the hearth, but he didn't dare look back. Not until he had the fire going, and then he had no excuse not to turn around.
She was going through the saddlebags, which he had brought in after he put the horse in the small stable, pulling out the food Marian had packed for them. But he didn't miss the way her hands trembled slightly.
"Are you mad at him?" he asked, afraid of the answer. His empathy link to her was still fledgling, and could only tell him that she was upset.
Her head jerked up. "Why would I be mad at you?"
Jack looked off to the side, rubbing his shoulder as he thought about the lake. Relived it in his head. The wolves' cries were yet another sound in his memory that he never wanted to hear again.
"Because you killed those wolves?"
He nodded, still not looking at her.
Rapunzel didn't answer right away, taking something else from the saddle bag and setting it on the wooden floor. "They would have killed us."
"I still don't like…" He rubbed his right hand – the hand that had broken and resealed the ice.
"Killing them?" she asked.
Jack snorted. "I've killed plenty of them. But never like that."
Instead of answering, she focused on dividing some of the food. It was pretty much the same thing he had had as provisions before: a couple loaves of bread, dried meat, dried fruit, and some cheese. When she was done, Jack went over to sit nearby on the floor. His stomach growled as his brain registered that he was about to eat.
"How did you do it?" Rapunzel asked, after a few minutes.
Jack finished chewing a bite of bread and swallowed. "The same way you healed that guard this morning."
"With your hair?" she asked, her tone turning a little sardonic. Be still his beating heart.
Jack chuckled dryly.
He was so tired, he wasn't sure there would actually be a response when he swirled his hand through the air. But a few snowflakes formed, dancing in the air.
"Oh!" Rapunzel stared, her green eyes wide in wonder.
"It runs through the royal line," he said. "Every few generations it shows up. According to the ancient laws the throne usually reverts to the child that has it. But no one likes the idea of me on the throne, so we're ignoring it."
As he spoke, he moved his fingers so the flakes danced through the air. On a whim, he sent one of them towards Rapunzel.
She giggled when it landed on the top of her nose.
Jack grinned as she crinkled her nose and wiped off the drop of water.
"You're not upset?" she asked. "About not getting the throne?"
He snickered. "If I wanted the throne, they would give it to me. But I really don't."
She smiled shyly.
He was starting to really like her smile. A warmth spread through his chest at the sight of it.
He had never been curious enough to ask Nightlight or Hiccup what falling in love was like. He had been more interested in avoiding the subject of love. The subject of Katherine or Astrid made them both useless in his opinion. (Well, Hiccup had been better since his marriage.)
Rapunzel looked away after a moment, her cheeks pink.
Why hadn't she brought it up? He wondered.
There had been plenty of time while they were travelling that day. And a few times, he had thought she was about to, but her questions always lead somewhere else.
He was about to swallow his pride and find a way to bring it up himself ("so, I guess we're soulmates?"). But she spoke before he had the chance.
"Are we safe here?" she asked, looking down at her piece of bread.
"For tonight," he said. "The guards said that Pitchiner's men headed northeast after they attacked. They're probably hiding in the mountains, so he won't be able to send anyone after us tonight." He bit off a piece of dry meat, the spicy sweet taste of the dried sauce filling his mouth.
"Will we be able to reach Autumn tomorrow?"
"Why? Tired of my company already?"
She blushed as she shook her head.
"Tomorrow afternoon at the latest," he said. "Hopefully Hiccup will meet us at the border, otherwise we'll have a couple more days' ride to the Autumn palace."
Rapunzel seemed to brighten up at that. "I get to see the palace?"
Jack laughed under his breath. He was tempted to tell her that she would probably end up living in a palace (one way or another), but decided to wait until he was rested.
Once they had finished eating, he gathered the last of his energy and stood up. Going over to where he had dropped his backpack, he pulled out the bedroll.
"You should get some rest."
"So should you," Rapunzel said.
"I will." He spread the bedroll out near the fire, then walked back to her. Crouching down, he tugged at the knot he had tied in the cloak's strings that morning. He nodded towards the bedroll as he pulled the cloak off her shoulders. "Go on."
He couldn't help but smile as she crowled across the wooden floor and climbed into the bedroll. "Goodnight, Rapunzel."
"Good night, Jack," she said, wrapping herself up in the bedroll. "Sweet dreams."
"You too," he said.
Her eyes closed, and near silence filled the cabin, save for the crackling of the fire.
Jack exhaled, tilting his head back as he closed his eyes. Exhaustion couldn't be staved off for long, but he wanted to enjoy the brief moment of peace.
A wave of loneliness washed over him, in spite of Rapunzel's presence. He wasn't used to handling things like this on his own. And knowing the Pitchiner was out there, once more active…
Tomorrow, hopefully, he would be able to talk to Hiccup. And he promised himself that he would talk to Rapunzel – whatever the result of that conversation.
"I'm not going to sleep until you do," she said, breaking the silence.
Opening his eyes, jack lowered his head to look at Rapunzel. Her eyes were only slightly open, and he was amazed she had the energy to open them at all.
"Is that a threat?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm."
With a tired smile, Jack lay down, pulling the cloak over himself like a blanket. His eyes closed as soon as he rested his head on his arm. "Better?"
"Mm-hmm."
Even thoughts of the wolves, and Pitchiner, weren't enough to keep sleep away, and within moments he was gone.
#
Rapunzel wasn't sure what woke her up. Only that she suddenly found herself awake. She looked around the cabin without sitting up, not wanting to lose any of the warmth inside the bedroll.
The fire had died down, but it was still burning, radiating warmth. But the cabin was mostly shadowed, since the flames were no longer strong enough to reach into all the corners.
A few feet away from her, Jack was asleep under the cloak. And she noticed, as she had in the cave, just how young he looked when sleep shielded him from stress. She realized that she had forgotten to ask him how old he was, though she had meant to when they had talked about her birthday earlier that morning.
But she didn't have time to dwell on that thought before a sound reached her.
"Rapunzel?"
Her heart stopped in her chest.
The call was distant, outside the cabin, somewhere in the woods.
And she recognized the voice.
She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and closed her eyes, trying to convince herself that it was her imagination. Or it was just the wind blowing through the trees.
The call came again. A little closer.
She shouldn't go. There was absolutely no reason she should respond to the call.
But still…
If someone had asked her why, she would have been able to give an answer. But still she found herself pushing back the bedroll, wincing as the cooler air of the cabin washed over her. Standing up, she went over to the door.
She hesitated with hand on the doorknob… she looked back at jack, who was still asleep.
Again: "Rapunzel?"
She opened the door, and stepped outside.
#